Tsudzukeru
by Zimithrus1
Summary: History eventually repeats itself, but every millennia, history repeats the SAME events over and over again hoping for a different outcome. By Cloud Strife's fourth rebirth, Gaia decided to change its' strategy. All of Cloud's three past lives have assimilated into his current body of eleven years old, starting with the WEAPON inside him. Not your average time-travel fic :p Rated T
1. Angel or Abomination?

Welcome to the first chapter of Tsudzukeru! I'm glad you guys decided to click on this and check it out! *bows in appreciation* I know there are a lot of time travel fics out there, but I have a feeling four different personalities sharing the same body would definitely put a spin on the idea. Anyways, Here's chapter one! Enjoy! :)

 **EDIT (11-7-15):** This chapter has been revised and looked over. I have combed through and made changes to certain events, dialogue, and situations to better fit with the plot :) So for all you new readers, everything should flow nicer.

* * *

~1: Angel or Abomination?~

It was a gentle summer's night in the village of Nebelheim. The sun had sunk below the horizon hours ago, leaving the encroaching night hanging high in the sky. The waning moon smiled down at the earth below like a Cheshire cat. A few stars blinked and twinkled in the obsidian sky to aid the moon in giving further pale light. A light wind blew past to ruffle each blade of grass like a violent shiver. The sweet air caught the scent of the mountains to blend gently into a snowy and earthy fragrance, just the right atmosphere for a quaint village out in the boondocks.

Most of the cottage styled homes had their lights off and were already hunkered down for the night to get an early leap at tomorrow morning. A few scattered homes had one single yellow light on to further light the town square. One house near the edge of the square and further towards the mountains had more than just one light on, signaling that the individuals were not asleep yet.

A young mother chased an even younger child around the living room of the rather small, yet cozy, house. The child was laughing as he evaded the clutches of his mothers arms. He quickly scurried around a kitchen table located on the left side of the house and wedged himself into a tight corner that he knew his mother could not squeeze into.

"Alright, Cloud. That's enough horseplay, it's time for you to get some sleep." The mother spoke with a giggle.

The little boy peeked through the crack in his hidey-hole to shoot a playful grin at her. She had her long blonde hair pulled into a low ponytail that ended down the middle of her back. Her bright blue eyes twinkled in amusement as she looked down at her energetic son. She had rested her slender hands against her hips as a smirk tugged at the corners of her thin peachy lips. She was clothed in a simple orange dress with a plain white apron slung over it. She was void of any socks or shoes.

"You best get yourself out of there before I force you out!" She threatened in a loving manner.

"Nu-uh!" The child known as Cloud challenged as he brought his knees up to his chest to hug them tightly, as if doing this would keep his mother from reaching him.

The older blonde saw those same blonde lockes that equaled her own color shake with his head at his denial. She knew those bright blue eyes that mirrored her own were twinkling with amusement, even without having to see it for herself. He was almost like her carbon copy they looked so similar. However, the boy did possess his father's delightfully contagious smile and mouth shape, the rest was all her. The young one was clothed in a navy blue tee-shirt and black cotton shorts that were a size too big for him.

"Then I guess I'll have to send the _claw_ after you!" She finalized, crouching down on to her hands and knees as she reached her right hand out.

She wiggled her fingers around as her hand snaked under the table and towards the corner that Cloud had wedged himself into. When the blonde saw his mother's hand coming towards him, he curled himself into a ball as tightly as he could. Maybe he could shrink back into the wall if he curled up enough? However, his mother's hand brushed across his left side and began to tickle him relentlessly. The soon to be eleven year old shrieked in laughter as he squirmed and flailed trying to escape the grasp of the tickling claw.

'I've got you now! Surrender!" His mother exclaimed with a bright laugh and a smile to match.

"n-No! Haha, q-quit it Momma!" Cloud squealed, trying to maintain his curled up shape to escape the tickling claw.

"Not until you admit your defeat and go to bed!" She exclaimed, tickling his side harder now so he would give in.

"I-Haa~! I'll never surrender! Ahaha, okay...Okay! I give u-ahahah~, I give up Momma!" The blonde exclaimed, finally admitting a complete and utter defeat.

She finally stopped tickling the boy and withdrew her hand from underneath the small round table. Cloud peeled himself away from the corner and crawled out from underneath the table. Immediately afterwards, he was scooped up into his mother's arms as she stood up to her full height.

"Momma! Put me down!" The child exclaimed with a smile as he tried to peel away from his mother's loving embrace.

"Why? Just because you're turning eleven tomorrow doesn't mean mommy can't stop holding her baby!" She countered, snuggling him even tighter.

"I am not a baby! I'm ten and three n' a half quarters!" Cloud argued as a small pout formed across his rather plump face.

"Oh, I'm sorry Mr. Ten and three and a half quarters, forgive me for not being so exact!" She mock apologized before placing a big raspberry against his neck.

Her child squealed and protested delightfully for her to stop. She just couldn't help giving her little one such a hard time. She just loved him so much and never wanted to stop holding and hugging him. She thought any mother must have felt that same feeling she had right now. The feeling of never wanting to let go.

"Okay, sweeatheart, time to go to bed." She said softly, toning down her playful voice to lul the child into more of a tranquil state.

"Okay." Cloud responded in just as much of a soothed tone as his mother's.

She lead him over to the queen sized bed they both shared so she could get him tucked in. Eventually she'd have to get another bed for her growing boy. But for now, they were good with what they had. They weren't exactly the most wealthy people in the village. In fact, they were probably the most poor residents in town.

After her husband died in duty, they had hit the poverty line hard. When he was alive he had been a commanding officer in Shin-Ra. He didn't make it to SOLDIER like he had aimed to do, but he had been fine with the position he was able to land. Every check he received was sent straight to his small family. Since he couldn't be with them as much as he wanted to be, he just sent his earnings over so they could keep on going. After all, she was just a young twenty-seven stay at home mother. Yes, twenty-seven with a soon to be eleven year old.

He had died when Cloud was only minor four years old. Since then, they had been living on next to nothing, barely able to pay for their own home with the crops she grew in the backyard to sell to the market. When droughts or blizzards struck, meals would always come few and far between. Some days, they'd have to go an entire day without eating, sometimes more. A diet like that did not do a growing boy any good. So the lithe child was rather underweight and malnourished.

The blonde woman pulled herself out of her revere as she approached the bed. She pulled back his side of the covers and gently eased her younger counterpart on to the puffy bed. His side of the bed was closer to the wall since he did not get up as many times in the night as his mother.

Cloud layed down and snuggled his back against the mattress as his mother pulled up the white sheet and deep navy blue quilt and pulled them up to his shoulders. She gently tucked the covers close to his body and kissed him on the forehead.

"Goodnight, baby." She said with a smile.

"G'night, Momma." Cloud responded with a grin of his own before turning over on his left side and closing his eyes.

The older blonde gently eased away from the bed and made her way to the front door. She shut off the main light and glanced back to her boy with a loving smile on her face. She decided to wait right by the front door like she did every night until he fell asleep. When she heard the softest of snores, she gently popped open the front door and slipped out into the ever late night. With that, she briskly began to make her way towards the red light district near the back of town.

When you're poor and lacking a decent number of crops, you do what you can for your family to ensure they have enough to eat.

* * *

So many visions flooded their way into Cloud's dreams. Things he didn't know, things he'd rather not want to see. Things that frightened him, things that made him want to cry. He saw himself being much older than he was now, looking more lean and tall, but frail and lithe as he was now. He saw himself struggling to make it through the cadet program in Shin-Ra. He soon was no longer seeing it, but was now living it.

It all just felt so real, like they were memories and not dreams. He failed the SOLDIER exams and physicals a countless number of times. He was bullied constantly and did his best to fake a smile at the end of the day. He felt the joy of finally making a friend for the first time, but shortly after, he felt the pain of loosing everything dear to him.

Nebelheim up in smoke, childhood hero slaughtering all those in his way and setting fire to any structure in the path of his madness. Stabbing his hero, being stabbed and gutted in return. Killing his hero, upholding a promise made long ago. Needles, Mako, a scientist and his best friend.

A haze. A green haze he could not see past. Could not speak, could barely blink. His best friend always there, that joy was there. Soon after, heartache followed. His best friend being brutally murdered by the company he worked for. Tears. So many tears.

Black haze for a moment. Nothing was happening. It was quiet and eerily still.

The visions started up again. Much older now with guilt and regret in his chest. Begging for salvation and forgiveness and never seeking its' approval. So many memories in this form: A grand adventure of self-discovery, inner strength and saving Gaia altogether along with the help of a few trusted companions he held dear in his heart. A disease. Mad and rampid with no cure. He had it, a boy he held dear had it. Silverettes, mother's legacy. Geostigma's getting worse, only a matter of time til it claims him. A cure, a Cetra, a light in the darkness.

The fallen hero returns, no longer a hero and harboring nothing but hate and madness. A one-winged angel, proclaimed a fallen God. Reuniting with his best friend for a moment in time, felt nice. Overcoming his fears and weakness and accepting fate. Finally achieving forgiveness and purged of his sins.

Encroaching blackness once more. Deafening silence again.

All of a sudden, this vision becomes vivid, forever burning into the back of his head.

Cracked ground splintered in every direction surrounds his line of sight. It was parched, dry and craving water that it would not receive. There was no longer any grass, no trees, not even the slightest form of vegetation. There was dust swirling near the bright tan ground below his feet. Slivers of green strands of lifestream circled into the air above where the sky was cracked and chipped like glass. Black was visible through the holes in the sky. Never ending obsidian.

He stood alone in this desolate field, every inch of mankind eradicated. Then why was he here? He was human, wasn't he?

...

Cloud Strife: The Alpha WEAPON, stood alone on the last patch of land that lay unclaimed by the end of Gaia. His dull Mako blue eyes scanned each crack in the sky, even lingering in the black where pieces of the sky had broken off and were sucked up into the never ending darkness that came about the end of the world.

He was garbed in brilliant clothes. A mask covered his upper face, shielding his eyes and nose to leave his mouth and jaw exposed. The mask resembled the plague doctors, a long beak being the most predominant feature. The mask was pure gold and adorned in pieces of silver, ruby, and emerald: Bits of the other weapons of Gaia themselves.

His hair was very long and pulled into a tight ponytail near the base of his neck. The ponytail easily reached down to the back of his knees. The lockes of hair not sealed into the silk red ribbon shot up in every direction like they usually did, but they seemed to be a bit more tamed and slicked back that usual.

He wore a solid black trench coat that traveled down to his ankles. It was completely undone save for one metal buckle near the collar of the coat that closed it up. The base of the trench coat was covered in more colorful bits of the other weapons and was streaked with gold lining at the ends of the fabric.

The sleeves of the coat were short and underneath them lay his arms covered in tattered bandages. Under those were thick crimson red scars and gashes. Even some thick stitches lay permanently etched into his skin. Black gloves covered his hands and swallowed his wrists, rusted gears click under blemished glass sitting on the top of the gloves.

He wore nothing underneath the trench coat save for loosely wrapped bandages near his stomach, yet tight at the chest. His white pants were loose as the waist hung lazily and a bit lower than where it should be resting. There were black leather straps on either side of each leg, an abundance of chains adorned into the straps. The white pants then tucked into some black leather mid-calf high boots. They were garnished in black straps and a thick zipper down the front lay half-way zipped up.

Out of his back rest a magnificent pair of massive wings. The span had to be larger than the well dressed and badly scarred blonde himself. They were ivory white with golden yellow on the tips of each abnormally large feather. The longest of the feathers draped across the dying ground, giving it elegance in its last moments.

Suddenly, he was face to face with Minerva herself. She was garnished in her large and intimidating armor. The blonde knew better than that. She might appear to be fearless, but deep inside he knew she was terrified of what was becoming of her precious world.

"You're out of options, Minerva." Cloud dryly spoke, his voice rough and brittle. It was as if he had been alive for eons yet did not look the part at all.

"I am aware." She spoke from behind her helm.

A rough breeze blew past the two, ruffling up their clothes and hair as silence washed over them. The whipping wind warped the natural shape of their attire, either conforming it to their body or letting it flow out behind the other.

"I have tried everything...Except one thing." The Goddess finally spoke, looking up to meet the blonde straight in his masked eyes.

"If it is anything like any of your other plans, I will assume it involves me." Cloud responded bitterly, almost wanting to turn his back on the one who had made him the living and undying weapon he was so many millennia ago.

Why did she keep asking and expecting so much out of him? She had chosen him to stop Sephiroth, chosen him to become Gaia's hero. When all seemed lost in the War of Shadows, she had turned him into a humanoid weapon and saved the rest of mankind. All seemed fine until he realized that being immortal was a terrible thing to suffer through. He had to watch everyone he loved grow and die. Had to witness the planet trying to end itself time after time, only to have him stop it every time.

Not even Red XIII or Vincent lived as long as he did. They died centuries ago. Gaia was old and crumbling and now there was nothing they could do to fix it this time. Honestly, Gaia had been alive for six eons. Eons were at least a billion years old at that. It was time for this planet to die in Cloud's opinion.

"I am sorry, Cloud-"

"I lost that name when I lost my humanity." The blonde snapped, taking a step forward towards the Goddess.

Cloud had lost his name after he became a weapon. His old existence had been replaced and forgotten. Only he, his closest friends, and the Goddess herself knew of his old name and life. After he became what he was, he was only known as Alpha. Ever since then, he despised hearing his old name. It was just a cruel reminder of the life he so desperately missed.

"I apologize." She said again, slightly lowering her helmed head.

"Fine. Tell me this 'plan'." The humanoid weapon stated, crossing his arms over his bandaged chest.

"The world is in the sorry state it's in because of what happened that fateful day in Nebelheim. I feel that if that event were to never occur then the course of destruction this world is on would cease." Minerva theorized, gesturing to the barren land spread before them.

A few more cracks resonated through the sky as a few more pieces chipped away and shattered into the black void behind it. A faint howling of wind was heard as the speed began to pick up, further ruffling their clothes.

"And just how do you propose we go about solving this?" The weapon formerly known as Cloud asked impatiently, wanting to hurry up and get to the part about how she was going to use him _again_ to save herself and the sorry world she made the mistake of birthing him into.

"I have just enough power left in me to reverse the current damage, but in order to do so, the same events that lead to this current moment must occur again." She explained bluntly.

"So you mean every event that happened when I was still human must happen once more?" He questioned bitterly.

"Yes. And for every time the course is not altered, the world will stop and reset every millennia."

"So you mean we are just basically rewinding a damn VHS tape." Former Cloud grumbled as his right hand shot up to his forehead and raked through his thick blonde hair.

"I suppose your analogy best fits my proposal." Minerva responded with a faint nod of her helmed head.

"Minerva. I am tired. I do not want to go back and try to stop those horrible events and memories again. I may be weapon, but I do not possess the willpower and stamina I once did. Frankly, I just want to lay down and die." The Alpha weapon mumbled as he slowly removed his hand from his hair, looking at it as he brought it down to eye level as he spoke.

"This is why I am going to free you of remembering any of those events. I will take your tired memories away so you may start fresh without weary or burden. You will still remain my Alpha, but you will most certainly not remember it." Minerva propositioned.

The blonde looked at her hard. Even through the slits in the mask and the faint distance between them, she could see the fiery Mako blue glow of his eyes blaring embers into her own eyes.

"I am tired of being a tool. If I somehow manage to set free this accursed chain of events, I wish to be released from my title of undying weapon. It's... Very lonely after everyone you know and love has died." He admitted softly, looking down at the parched earth below his feet after speaking.

Minerva visibly flinched upon hearing her beloved Alpha's request. Her utmost savior and favorite weapon wishing to be no more? Actually wishing to revert back to a _human?_ She would have never dreamed he could proposition something like this! She thought just taking away his old memories would have pleased him enough. He would no longer be tired as he stated, and she most certainly would no longer use him as she has been doing if he were to succeed!

But because he was her most _beloved_ weapon, she figured it would be best to grant his wish. It was probably the least she could have done for giving him a fate he did not wish or yearn for. She _forced_ him to become what was standing before her now without his consent, just to save the world for another few pitiful millennia more.

"Alright. I accept your proposal, you will no longer be tied to me if you succeed." Minerva finalized, almost wanting to take it back as soon as it left her mouth.

Then for the first time in eons, she saw him smile a true smile. It was a smile that was free from worry, free from burden and pain. It was _carefree_. She would have never thought she'd see him ever smile like that again. The proposal almost seemed worth it just for that brief moment in time.

The howling picked up even more, becoming more of a loud roar. The wind was being sucked right into the obsidian void. It was becoming more of a black hole than anything. Eventually, this last piece of land and all the lifestream would be gone. She knew she had to act fast.

"Great Gaia! Hear me now! Your Goddess summons forth your last reserves of strength!-" She began, holding her staff up into the air as bright green light swarmed around it like moths to flame.

"As your creator and Goddess, I command you to start anew four eons ago! From there you will loop for a millennium! If no changes are present, you wil restart once again!" She added on, beginning to swirl the staff in a clockwise motion in the air.

Streams of the green substance stopped in their tracks for a moment, then shot towards the staff with such rapid speed that a normal human wouldn't even have time to see it without blinking. Alpha weapon watched as the howling roar shifted from the void and come from the staff instead, sounding like a screech by this point.

"You shall free my beloved weapon of his down-trodden memories and renew him as he was in his prime! Heed me now and revert!" She finished, holding her staff high into the air as the rest of the lifestream entered the staff.

For a brief moment, it was silent. Then the lifestream shot out with a mighty roar in every direction it could fly. It looked more like an Ultima spell had been cast instead from just the sheer intensity of it alone. White light then engulfed the blonde and his memories blissfully faded away.

Well...That's how it was _supposed_ to work.

Cloud soon found himself standing before Minerva for the third time in the same patch of land with the same damn scenery. Alpha could have sworn there was fire burning through his veins instead of blood. Not only had he failed three times now, he had to sit through years and years of watching everyone leave him _again_. Once was enough, but _three_? Not only that, but as soon as he made it to where he was standing now, _all_ of his past memories caught up with him. All three times, all the memories, the pain and regret came back. He was about ready to snap Minerva's neck.

"Listen, my beloved. I know you are upset, but-"

" _No fuckin' shit, Minerva!_ " Former Cloud spat, his patience entirely gone by this point.

"Please allow me to explain!" She pleaded before he could insult her any more.

The weapon bit his tongue as he turned his head away from her. Thankfully, she was glad for his plague mask right now. She didn't have to see those angry and disapproving eyes on her. His silence confirmed that she was allowed a chance to explain, so she seized it while she could.

"I have made a mistake in allowing you to forget your past memories. It seems without the prior knowledge of the future, you cannot properly avert the calamities that follow. Therefore I must sent you back once more." She explained.

"No. I am _not_ going back for a fourth time. Not only am I tired, I am exhausted, hurting, and laden with guilt and regret for letting everyone down a third time. This world is no longer worth saving and I am certainly in no decent mental condition to be its savior once more." The blonde growled out, crossing his arms over his chest as he reigned in his anger as much as he could. Even his wings seemed to shudder in his hatred.

"I understand your distress, but I feel that the knowledge you have obtained these past three lifetimes will greatly aid you for this time. If I allow your memories to stay, you will most certainly succeed." Minerva encouraged in a desperate manner.

"My answer is still no. I would rather live in an endless void than see everyone I love die again while I am powerless to stop it, no matter how many do-over's I get." The weapon reinforced heavily, still keeping the blazing eye contact with the Goddess he despised with a fiery passion.

"May this be the final offer then. Even if you do or do not succeed, I will free you from the title of Alpha weapon for good. I will allow you the humanly death you have been praying for." She decided. This was the only way she would get one last chance. This was it, the final stand.

"...You have yourself a deal then, Minerva. I have one addition though." He bargained, turning to fully face her now.

He put his right hand to the mask covering his face and removed it. Thick blonde bangs fell to frame his young looking face. Yet it was covered in stitches and scars. His eyes were still that fiery Mako blue, but they had a glaze over them as if he was blind. His eyes were his most aged looking feature of his entire being.

"I want to be sent back in time further than a measly month before the mission. Send my conscience back to my eleven year old body. I have a feeling if I start like that, things might just work out this time." He said bluntly.

"A mere _child_? Why not when you first arrived in Shin-Ra at your proper age?" Minerva questioned as her own eyes actually widened from behind her helm.

"I will have my strength, knowledge, weapon powers, and wings with me. I have a feeling if I start off so young, I can make quite the ruckus in Shin-Ra. After all, Sephiroth made First class by the time he was thirteen. Besides, not only can I destroy the Nebelhiem files with ease and without suspicion, but I can also tug on some heartstrings belonging to a certain General as a mere child." The Alpha weapon explained as he tossed his mask up into the air to catch it and repeat the process.

"...Alright, I can make that happen. However I must warn you, the process of transferring all of your memories and former lives into a body that young and fragile will cause an immense amount of pain. You should be able to handle it though. With that said, here we go." Minerva stated before starting up the reversal process again.

Hopefully the fourth time would be the charm.

* * *

Claudia did not know what was wrong. She had been in the middle of making breakfast just like any other morning. She had looked behind her to see her little newly turned eleven year old sleeping soundly. Watching the way he slept always brought a smile to her face. But this morning was _anything_ but normal.

Cloud started screaming and thrashing in his sleep. Immediately she was by his side, watching in horror as he convulsed as if he was going through the motions of a seizure. She wanted to reach out and comfort him, but that wouldn't seem like that safest course of action due to his wild flailing. When she thought she was at the height of her worry, it increased tenfold.

White wings with golden tips burst out of his back, ripping fresh holes in his shirt. Claudia's eyes nearly bugged, especially noting that there was no blood or sign of injury. Those wings just _appeared_. Not only that, but they were obscenely massive for his size. They had to be about a good three feet bigger than him. The left wing was draped off the side of the bed and was twitching against the wood floor below as the boy continued to seize and thrash.

Then scars began to form across his body. There was one above his left eyebrow, then smaller and thinner ones splotched across his arms. They resembled little nicks as if he had been cut by a blade. She was terrified. She figured she was dreaming, but couldn't recall going to bed. Wings just don't _appear_ out of nowhere, nor do scars and cuts. She had to have been hallucinating.

She didn't know what was going on or what she could do. She couldn't think straight, couldn't function right. With her doubt, confusion, and ever growing denial that this wasn't real, she only stood with a gaping mouth as she watched her child thrash about.

For the seizing blonde, the rush of illusions from his dream was nearly unbearable. All this visions suddenly becoming memories as they burned into the back of his head. All of the familiar faces from his past lives flashing before his closed eyes. His knowledge of the future. But something seemed...Very wrong. He felt more than one presence in his head.

'you've got to be kidding me.' an older but wispy voice grumbled.

'I do believe Minerva made a fatal mistake when sending my memories back...' Alpha Weapon sighed.

' _Your_ memories?'

'Not only did she send back my prior lives' memories back, she sent back their personalities as separate entities as if I had been three separate people...'

'Hold on...This is confusing. You mean we're all the same person, but we're also not at the same time?'A feeble and young sounding voice peeped.

'That would be correct. She separated the memories of me as a cadet, a hero, and myself and threw us together into my child body. I have a feeling that the mind of when I was a child is separate as well...'

 _'_ w-Who are you people?' His inner child asked.

'My theory was correct.'

'Our theory technically speaking?'

'Wait, I thought we were separate people?'

'I feel I have made a great mistake...' One last voice chimed. This voice was feminine from all the others and the young confused child almost thought it was his own mother.

'I could have told you this.'

'Somehow, when I sent your memories back, you all became separate from the other. You are the same person, yes. You are just broken pieces that were once a whole.'

'Minerva, pray tell how you are going to solve this problem. We cannot all jump in at once. We will cause too much strain on myself... We will cause too much strain on the child.' Alpha said, only to correct himself.

'I should have enough strength to allow separate windows. When a certain situation calls for a certain personality, that one will take over.'

"Wait, these voices are me?" The child asked feebly, unsure if any of the voices were even listening to him.

'So we're taking turns being ourselves?'

'Yes.'

'Wait! What about situations like right now? How are we going to separate ourselves from... Well, ourselves? We're all Cloud!'

'I decree we go by titles rather than names. Since I am Alpha weapon, I shall make my title be known as Alpha. We shall continue down with the ranks. This will make my second life possess the Beta title. My third life will claim the rank of Gamma. For the child, he will retain our original name.' Alpha decided.

'Sounds good." Beta agreed.

"Nobody answered me!" Cloud exclaimed to the voices in his head while he remained unaware of his body's actions as he slumbered.

"We are you. There isn't really any better way to explain that I guess." Gamma responded to the feeble voice that barely sounded like his own.

"Why are you here? Why now?" Cloud asked desperately, hoping to understand why there were three different versions of himself all living in his head.

"We have come here to stop a chain of events from destroying Gaia as we know it. Combining out memories will give us knowledge of why the world began to crumble. You will help us carry this out so the world can be saved before it repeats itself for a fourth time."

"Sephiroth started the whole mess in my time. From what you saw in your dreams, you know he was responsible for burning this place to the ground." Gamma spoke.

'Honestly, Hojo was mainly behind it all. He set the stage for what followed after Gamma's time and into mine.' Beta added in.

'It was all of those events in the end that brought about what followed afterwards. The Shadow War followed after ten years of peace, then I was changed into a humanoid Weapon to end it.' Alpha finished.

"You mean all those visions I saw in my dreams are my memories?" Cloud asked the voices that knew just about everything. But if this was the case, that means his eleven year old self knew everything and everyone that they did.

'That is correct.'

"Now that everything has been discussed, I will create the separate windows and allow the child to awake." Minerva cut in from the silence.

All of a sudden, the voices disappeared without a trace and Cloud could actually have a few thoughts to himself once more. It only remained dark and quiet for a few moments before he heard his mother's uneven gasps reaching him. She sounded garbled and fuzzy, like he was hearing her underwater. Not liking that garbled sound that caused him to panic and worry about his mother, he fought away the darkness as quickly as he could to reach her.

The blonde shot up in the bed panting and sweating profusely. His breaths were raspy and shallow as if he had been suffocating rather than sleeping. He was gripping the blue quilt in his hands so tightly that his small knuckles were beginning to turn white.

"Cloud!" His mother cried with desperation as her arms flung around him tightly, nearly crushing him in the process.

"Momma?" He asked with hardly a voice.

Claudia's worried blue eyes scanned every possible inch of her son as she could, even going as far as using her right hand to turn his face to the left and right to do a thorough check. When he seemed to be physically fine -minus the scars that just appeared out of nowhere and seemed to stick- he was pulled back into her loving arms as she breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

"Goodness, baby! You scared mommy half to death!" She cried as she nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck, half of her still wondering where those strange wings had gone.

One moment they were there, then they just vanished. She had never seen anything more strange or bizarre than that. She did another double-check over him, turning his face this way or that, lifting his shirt up to check his back and run her fingers over the flesh before checking over those strange scars before repeating the process. This caused the blonde to groan softly as his face tugged down into a scowling pout.

"Mom! Cut it out, I'm okay!" He protested as he pulled his face away from her hands.

"It doesn't look like it to me. Where did these scars come from? And for Gaia's sake I saw wings come out of your back!" She protested with worried eyes and a shaky voice.

"I... Don't know. But I promise, I really am okay. I feel fine n' everything." He honestly responded as he looked at his arms then back to his mother.

He could tell from the look in her eyes that she still wasn't one-hundred percent sure that he was truly fine. But her silence on the matter told the child that she was going to drop it for now. Knowing his mother, she'd rehash this matter later. She checked over him one last time, much to Cloud's dismay as he tried to fight out of her probing fingers again.

"Alright then..." She mumbled to herself, taking in a deep breath after her mutter.

When she exhaled, she made sure most of her worry wiped right off her face before replacing it with something more relaxed. She was still worried and more scared than anything over the events a minor ten minutes ago, but for now she would take this time to sort through all of these occurrences in her head before re-asking and checking her son out later. She let a small smile grace the corners of her lips before speaking again.

"Well, bad dreams and weird things aside, I think it's time we liven up this atmosphere. Happy Birthday, Cloudy!" His mother exclaimed with a tight hug.

"Thanks, Momma." The blonde responded with a smile.

Although from the back of his head he could have sworn he heard the other three voices whispering to him, telling him to not forget what had to be done.

* * *

A/N: Holy moly rolly-polly! We've _finally_ reached the end of chapter one! What a long ride! Anyhow, I hope you guys enjoyed the start and I hope you'll fave and follow to see what's in store next! I know the time-travel thing is pretty popular to do and there are a lot of other ones out there, but I honestly hope you guys will like this!

So leave me some feedback to let me know what you thought and think of this story and the twisty-turnsie I put on it :)

Until the next chappie my fair readers!  
~Zimithrus1


	2. Tying Up Loose Ends

Hello all! Welcome to chappie two of Tsudzukeru! I cannot _believe_ all the amazing responses I've gotten for _just_ the first chappie! I'm so happy~! :D You guys are awesome! Special shout out to all of you that have been kind enough to drop me a review, favorite and follow this fic! Without further ado, here's chapter two!

 **Editor's note 11-29-15:** This chapter has been revised and edited to fix spelling errors as well as grammatical mistakes. Plot holes have also been filled :)

* * *

~2: Tying Up Loose Ends~

The late morning sky was a crisp light blue today. A few puffy white clouds hung high above and provided some shade in splotchy patches against the ground outside. There was a gentle breeze accompanied by just the right amount of mid-August heat. Cloud stood outside his front door with his right hand brought up to shield his eyes from the harsh summer suns' brightness.

He was clothed in a dark navy green t-shirt and khaki colored cargo shorts. Thick brown boots and plain white socks provided protection from the more than rough and gritty ground. His ever growing hair was pulled into a tight ponytail at the base of his neck, barely exceeding the length of the uppermost part of his shoulder blade. He knew his mother would probably cut it off soon as Nebelheim traditional views frowned upon boys with long hair.

"Be safe when you go out to play today! Stay away from the mountains and the manor, those are no places for a child to play!" His mother warned as she peeked her head out from behind the slightly parted front door.

Cloud turned on his heel and flashed his mother a quick smile. "I will!" He responded before looking out ahead of him once more.

Claudia stood by the front door, keeping her slender hands wrapped around the wooden surface. She watched her boy take in a deep hit of fresh air and gaze into the sky high above him. Her eyes that mirrored the color of her child's could not help but roam to his clothed back once more. The image of those white and gold wings haunting her no matter how many times she blinked to flush that illusion out.

In story books and fairy tales, wings symbolized freedom and purity. But in real life, on a real human, they represented the making of something inhuman and strange. He was her baby and he'd always be, but she still couldn't shake the dread and denial gnawing in her stomach like a low grumble. He just _couldn't_ have wings. It was physically, anatomically, and all around impossible! With a heavy sigh and no answers to her internal musings, she peeled away from her spot while telling herself she had either been dreaming or hallucinating.

The deep brown door shut with a soft click as she disappeared back inside to sort things out and give her growing child some space. A few birds chirped from their spots in a tree towards the entrance of the little village. It was the perfect day to stay out til late evening and play to his hearts' content. With a little spring in his step, he bounded away from the front door of his house and to the water well in the center of town. He always loved hanging around the well, it was the perfect place to play pretend and get away from it all.

He dashed towards the large structure sitting high and tall in the center of town not far off from his own house. He circled around it a few times as he arrived, a large smile on his face as a light breeze tickled his nose. He decided to climb up and rest on the top of the large wooden well today. Maybe he could pretend to save Fort Condor from an invasion by Wutai troops? Maybe he could pretend he was on a ship that didn't make him nauseous on his way to Midgar? The possibilities were limitless, especially when it came to his endless imagination.

He gripped the clapboards and began to hoist himself up the well, his mind instantly thinking of him as an adventurer scaling the dangerous Nibel mountains in search of rare Materia. He pulled himself up on the flat boards surrounding the water supply and took a look around as he always did when he played here. The breeze was slightly stronger at his higher elevation. He could faintly catch the scent of the mountains on the wind as a southern wind blew down from the sierras and towards the village entrance.

He circled the water supply a few times to create a three-sixty view of the village as his mind plotted out a new adventure to unfurl for the afternoon. However, he paused when he took a quick glance into the water itself. He noticed a blood red glow reflecting off the surface of the liquid. Cloud rested his hands over the rim of the large reservoir and leaned in close to get a good look.

He saw a little red ball glowing brightly at the bottom of the repository. The color of the orb was what was making the water appear to be red. The blonde's eyes lit up in curiosity at the possibilities of what it could be.

"It's a summon Materia." The voice of Alpha cut through the child's thoughts.

The voice startled Cloud enough to jerk his head away from the well and look around in fright. He then remembered the events of last night that transitioned into this morning. The other three versions of himself were now nestled in his head where only he could hear and interact with them. The memories he held in his head were proof enough that they were really there.

Cloud did not respond to the voice, but made a mental note of thanking him for explaining his suscpicions. He peered over the rim of the well once more to further stare into the bright red orbs' captivating glow. It wasn't really that deep, easy enough to lean over the edge and stretch his arm down there and grab it. Curiosity and excitement won over and the blone soon found himself leaning in to grab the glowing ball.

"Be careful, We are unaware of the summon housed inside." Alpha quickly warned.

The calm tone of his warning was enough to make the blonde pause and flinch, arm halfway stuck into the red reflected liquid and hover above the glowing orb. Normally, he was used to someone abruptly shouting at him to not do something and treating him like a child, if not worse off. Those people usually being one of the villagers or even some of the other kids. He was not used to hearing a warning like one adult talking with another.

"Why does it matter though? It's not like I'm going to summon something with it, I don't even know how to use Materia." Cloud explained to the elder voice as his fingers curled around the orb.

"But I _do_ know. I am a Weapon, any summon stored inside will instantaneously react to my presence. If we are unlucky, we might just release a rampid summon spirit." Alpha strained to his child counterpart.

But when you are a child, adult logic always looses to curiosity. Without really heeding the elder persona's voice, he lifted the orb out of the water and clenched it tightly in his fist. The ball had a soothing warmth to it, kind of like the heat of a fireplace in a freezing cold winter. The ball lost all warmth suddenly, leaving the blonde child momentarily confused. Then bright white light burst from every direction it could go as it blinded the child. He cried out and dropped the orb as his fists dug into his eyelids to shield them from the light.

When the light dissipated, Cloud gently removed his hands from his eyelids and opened them up. There, he was staring straight into golden beady yellow eyes. A bird as the same height as him stood in front of him with blazing feathers the color of fire, even appearing to move and flicker as if they really were flame. He heard the elder voice sigh in relief from inside his thoughts.

"It is only Phoenix. She is a very docile summon, so there is no need for fright." Alpha reassured his child form.

Cloud stared at the bird in complete and utter silence. His young face lay expressionless as he gawked at the majestic creature. "She's _adorable!_ " He squealed in delight, going to wrap his arms around the bird.

"Do not touch her form. Her feathers are cloaked in flames." Alpha stressed before his child counterpart could make a move.

Cloud instantly took his arms back in a hurry, falling back on to his rear at the realization that fire was hot and caused nasty burns he'd rather not have. The Phoenix summon twittered in a high-pitch fashion as she cocked her head to the right as she observed the blonde boy's behavior. It almost sounded like the bird had laughed at him rather than tweet.

"Now what?" The blonde asked the eldest voice in confusion. Now there was a summon sitting before him. What was he supposed to do with it now?

"Summons do not vanish until whatever they were summoned for is properly taken care of." Alpha explained.

"But... I didn't summon her on purpose!" Cloud whined.

"Then you must figure out a purpose in which to use her powers." The Weapon voice spoke.

"Well, if her feathers are fire, then that means she can burn things down. I'll get in really bad trouble if she burns something down in the village!" The blonde exclaimed, not wanting to be punished for something he did by accident. It had happened more than once.

"Wait...There is something we can burn. The Nibelheim Manor's archive files."

"Momma said I'm not allowed to play there."

" _Ha!_ Really now?-" Alpha huffed sarcastically before continuing. "-I know you go horse around there all the time! I may be separate from you now, but I was once you. You're ornery and you know it." The weapon chided with a chuckle.

"I am _not_ ornery! ...What's ornery?" The blonde asked.

"Stubborn and combative." Alpha responded in an amused manner.

The blonde grumbled and hummed a flat and bored key, not wanting to admit that the elder voice was actually right.

"Back to current matters. We must destroy the archive files if we want to alter the future in our favor. Phoenix's fire should prove effective and useful for this task."

"That sounds kinda scary..." The blonde admitted.

"Fine. I will take over then."

Cloud didn't have any time to ask what the elder voice meant because he felt his own mind being overtaken by the former weapon's. It was like an ocean wave just washed over him and drug him down. His consciousness faded away in that encroaching wave as Alpha took control of the child's body and making his own thoughts predominant. Now the child was blissfully tucked away in the crevices of the back of his head like the other personas were; Only he was unaware and unresponsive like a person in a deep sleep with no recollections of his body's own doings.

In place of Cloud's blue eyes, gold overtook the former color. This indicating that the child was unavailable and that Alpha reigned control for now. The Weapon hopped off the well as his white and gold wings spread forth from his back and eased his sudden descent down to solid ground. He touched down with barely a sound as his wings gently folded against the other to rest on his clothed back.

Without wasting any more time, Alpha took off in a sprint in the direction of the Manor with Phoenix tailing behind him in flight. Some monsters did happen to be housed there, but they shouldn't pose a problem for him. He ran across the winding dirt path that lead out of the village and further towards the base of the massif. The wind picked up a bit more than before, rustling his clothes and pulled back hair a bit but unphazing him none-the-less.

By the time he arrived at the manor's gate, the sun had sunk from its morning position in the sky towards more of its high-noon location. The late summer sun was harsh and the heat bled through the back of his clothes like water as the summon perched herself atop one of the iron barbs of the rusting gate. She looked at him and twittered softly to gain his attention.

When reveres had been broken, the Weapon pushed open the creaky iron gates and made his way towards the large front doors. He easily pushed open the equally loud doors and made his way inside the abandoned manor. The bird flew in after him and perched herself against the dusty stairway banister, waiting patiently.

The lights were off, shrouding the establishment in choking darkness even though the sun was out and blazing brightly. Cobwebs litter almost every inch and in every nook and cranny of the musty place. The boards of wood underneath his booted feet squealed and groaned under his weight. Only taking a moment to survey the poor condition the building was in, he sauntered on. He quickly ascended the maroon carpeted stairs with Phoenix right by his side on his left.

Knowing exactly where to go, Alpha shot to the right and towards the last room on the right of the barren and dusty hallway. He pushed open the door as Phoenix flew in ahead of him and touched down on to the bed stationed in the room. If the Weapon hadn't been taking over the child's body, Gamma would have certainly made a few comments on this particular room.

Not wasting anymore time, the blonde made his way over to the brick wall adjacent to the bed. He traced his right index finger against the darker colored mortar near the base of the wall. When he found the right brick that was barely poking out more than the others, he pressed it in and the doorway slammed down with a mighty shudder. A spiral staircase lead the way to the closed off basement and laboratory.

Alpha held out his right arm as Phoenix took perch against it. With that, they made their descent down while the summon's fiery feathers provided just enough light to see each step before they took it. They touched down against the cold and damp basement floor. The lair itself was build right in the middle of a cavern, so it was always cold, damp, and dark down here. Phoenix flew ahead, letting out a shrill screech that scared away some of the lesser monsters and animals living and hiding here. The blonde followed hot on her trail until they reached the steel lab door.

The door appeared to be locked as Alpha tried to pull it open. With a slight scowl on his rather emotionless face, he balled up his right hand into a fist and struck the door. With his weapon strength, the steel bent with ease and the lock flew off and clattered to the floor noisily from the other side. It was just a matter of simply opening the broken steel door after that. Thankfully he had still retained his strength in this form. Many attributes of his previous form had been lost in the conscience exchange.

The blonde bypassed the old Mako tubes and examination table and headed straight down the long stretch of hall filled with books and folders and into the main study of the lab. More books, files, and reports lay alphabetized on each shelf and carefully were arranged by dates as well. A little smile crept on to to his face when he saw Phoenix get right to work in burning them all to a crsip while he took in the center, still smiling away.

The ashes from the destroyed pages rained down on his hair and clothes and the smoke was more than suffocating, but the Weapon was not bothered or phased by it at all. However, if he knew he stood here too long, then the child's own health would be at risk. So he left the Summon to do its' job as he took his leave. He waited outside the steel door in the caves for the deed to be done. His gold eyes glanced over to the other door made from wood and not steel. If Beta had taken over instead, he'd be sure to check in there for the Ex-Turk. However for Alpha, that was not really on his agenda.

When the flames died away and the smoke cleared out of the lab, he knew the task was taken care off. He high-tailed it out of the manor before the charred smell could reach the village in time for accusations to start.

* * *

"Alpha, why'd you have to stand in the middle of the fire? Now I've got ashes in my hair and I can't stop coughing!" Cloud complained as he sat criss-crossed atop the town's well once more. He coughed into his fist a few more times after he spoke.

"I could not help myself. Knowing I eliminated a major piece of the puzzle was just too enthralling not to watch." The Weapon admitted without missing a beat.

Cloud rolled his now blue eyes as he gently squeezed the red orb in his hand. The elder voice had informed the blonde that they should keep that summon with them now for future use. He had no complaints to that notion and didn't mind rolling the soothing warm ball around in his hand. He coughed a few more time as he shook the last remainders off ash from his hair.

After Alpha's escapade, the child felt relatively tired and just wanted to rest for a bit in his favorite spot in all of the village. It felt so relaxing to feel a cool breeze higher than ground level and hearing the reservoir gently slosh with the wind. It was always nice to come here to either play or just let his thoughts melt away in peaceful bliss. However, that bliss would be short-lived on most sunny afternoons.

"Look! The weakling choco-wannabe's hiding at the well again!" A cheeky voice insulted as more childish laughter resounded from below the well.

"Ahh...No.." Cloud whined softly, letting the back of his head bang against the repository with a gentle _thunk_ sound.

"Hey weakling! You can't hide up there forever!" Another voice shouted, this one sounding more nasally than the other.

"Bully problems, of course." The voice of Beta echoed.

"What should I do?" Cloud asked the middle voice, The shock of the other voices coming and going knowing all but gone now. He knew that this persona was strong and brash. He'd probably be able to give the blonde some good insight about what to do.

"You can either run from them or face them. It's as simple as that." Beta responded in his heavy yet wispy voice.

"I guess it doesn't matter then. When I hide they find me and when I face them they hit me..." He admitted as he pulled his head away from the well and hung it down instead.

He momentarily thought of using Phoenix to scare the other kids away, but he felt like he'd be scolded by Alpha in doing that. To resist the temptation, he pocketed the warm red orb and heaved a heavy sigh. He gently peeled himself away from the well and looked down from his perch. Of course, it just had to be these three again.

Avery Adams stood in the center and the closest to the well. The eleven-year old brown-haired boy's bright almond brown eyes glimmered in a sick kind of excitement when he saw the frightened blonde peak down to the ground. He had his hands on his hips and a smug smile on his face. Avery was known as the toughest and bravest child in the village.

Just because his dad was actually in SOLDIER made him think he was entitled to be a jerk to others just because of his status. He constantly teased the blonde that he was a failure just like his dad. Even the blonde's own father was subject of ridicule in the village because he was not native to the land and hailed from Mideel.

Peridot "Perry" Weathers stood to his left, the ten-year old had his wild bright red hair a mess in his face. His bright green eyes of forest pine glimmered in the same kind of excitement as Avery's. Honestly, Perry was the strangest looking child in all of Nibelheim and was pretty much a basket case. His mother did the same kind of night work as the blonde's own mother and was born through that work too, but since his mother was the Mayor's niece, no one picked on him or spread rumors about him. It was just unfair.

Rutherford Korry stood on the right of Avery. He was twelve-years old but acted more like a corrupt thirty year old CEO. His own blonde hair was lighter and brighter in color that Cloud's own, looking nearly white in the sunlight. His piercing green eyes were smug and did not gleam with as much excitement as the other boys. Rutherford was as arrogant and boastful as they come.

His father worked and maintained the Mako reactor in the mountains and was seen to be a prestigious role in the quaint village life. The boy was given the finer things in life and was taught that it was okay to step on others to further your own goals.

"They don't even look that tough." Beta challenged with a quiet scoff.

"Maybe not for you, but for me it's not fair." Cloud muttered as he slowly shrank away from the other boys gazes.

"Three-against-one was never fair in the first place." The middle voice stated matter-of-factly.

"I know." The blonde agreed.

"Hey basket case! You talkin' to yourself now? You really are crazy!" Perry snorted, much like a fat pig.

"My father says he acts the way he does so he doesn't have to grow up and act like a man." Rutherford stated as he turned to Avery.

"Your dad's got a good head on his shoulders! Unlike that failure's deadbeat!" The brunette laughed, hi-fiving the older boy.

"They've got some nerve insulting father. He was a good and honest man." Beta growled, now becoming fed up with the annoying children himself.

"That's what Momma tells me too." Cloud added.

"No wonder your deadbeat never came home! He didn't want a whore for a wife and a weakling for a son!" Avery shouted with a smug grin as more laughter echoed from below.

" _They've crossed the line!"_ Beta spat as he took over the blonde's body.

Beta's possession was nothing like Alpha's. This one was rushed and fast, like his mind had been pushed straight out of his body. It did not feel like a wave of water, it felt like scorching fire that seered him with a brutal burn before falling into complete numbness. Blood red eyes took over blue ones as the middle persona gained full control of the child's body. He backed up against the well, waiting for his cue.

"Hiding weakling? Gonna cry? Boo-hoo!" Avery exclaimed after blowing a raspberry.

It was silent in that moment before Beta-possessed-Cloud all but threw himself off the ledge of the well and straight for the brunette. He landed right on top of the boy, knocking him down as the blonde maintained balance and stood on his chest without falling over or teetering at all.

"Say that again! I dare you!" Cloud growled out in Beta's heavy voice as his booted foot stomped the boy' adams apple, causing the brunette to gag and choke.

"What the-? You're killing him! You really are a freak!" Rutherford exclaimed, loosing his cool to his fright.

"I'm not killing him, I'm asphyxiating him by severing the connection between oxygen and esophagus by restricting airflow from his trachea to his pulmonary organs via my _boot_." Beta corrected, pushing down harder on the boy's throat when he said the word boot. He made sure to use the medical terminology for 'suffocation by boot' to confuse the children.

The brunette under him was squirming and flailing wildly, trying to push the blonde off him or get his foot off his throat. However, the mere child was no match for the former second life Hero's strength. His face was beginning to turn an unhealthy shade of purple as he tried to gasp for the air he was being robbed off.

"Good Gaia just get off him!" Perry cried out in horror as he watched his friend slowly and agonizingly dying.

Beta complied and allowed the inferior child to catch his breath as he stopped standing on his chest. Avery scooted back as he coughed and gagged violently, eyes wide in fright at the blonde standing before them with blood red eyes.

"-wh-What's w-wrong with you?!" Avery rasped, holding his hands to his throat in a measly effort to protect them.

"Yeah! You're sick in the head!" Perry exclaimed as he helped the brunette get back up on his feet.

"You think you're so smart because you used big words! You aren't that smart! You're dumb!" Rutherford spat, his cockiness returning as he thought the blonde was all talk and no walk.

"Says the child that doesn't even know three hundred and sixty divided by four? Beta countered.

"I-...Well, I... Like _you_ know!" He spat.

"I do. The answer is ninty." Beta responded.

"Smart alack!" Perry countered immaturely as he began to laugh.

Even the recovered Avery began to laugh with the others. The blonde just hardened his red eyes and hiked his right leg up behind his back, using his arms to reach behind him and pull off his loosely and poorly laced boot. He set his socked foot against the ground and then chucked the boot straight at Perry's face. The shoe hit him in the mouth dead on and with enough force that it knocked the ten year old back and the shoe went flying off towards the entrance of the village.

"Eat boot, brat!" He snarled before turning on his heel and dashing off in the direction of the Nibel mountains.

He didn't feel like dealing with these idiots any longer and didn't want to be responsible for 'accidentally' killing them.

"Come back here!" Rutherford shouted, about to chase after the one-booted blonde.

Avery put out his arm and stopped the platinum blonde from advancing any further.

"Let him go, he's running into the mountains. That just spells out death." Avery reminded.

* * *

"Beta, why'd you leave my boot behind? And why did you make me run into the mountains? My foot hurts and I'm scared and cold!" Cloud whined as he tried to make sense of where the middle voice had lead him.

"Did you really want to risk getting pummeled? I got when the getting was good." He responded in that heavy voice.

"But I've never been this far up into the mountains before. Do you know where we are?" He asked the voice as he looked all around him.

The jagged grey sierras were more than frightening for the eleven year old. He may have adventured near the massif before, but he had never actually gone this high up before. Why on Gaia did the Hero lead the blonde all the way up here before letting him take control of his own body again? What had once been high-noon had now transitioned into early evening, red and yellows painting the horizon line. Above his head, however, the sky was dim purple and deep blue so dark it could have passed for black.

There had to be a good reason for Beta to bring him up this high, but the hero was not disclosing that information. Cloud's stomach growled without mercy. He groaned as his arms caressed the rumbling and churning area. He didn't even stop for lunch this afternoon and by the looks of the sky he could say it was getting close to supper time. Even if their meals didn't consist of much, they were still meals none-the-less.

Currently he was just trying to get down the mountain safely and as quickly as possible. He didn't want to worry his mother with how long he had been out without checking in or even coming back to eat. As he began to approach the base of the cliffs and further towards the village, he heard a voice. It was young and feminine and sounding like it was calling for something.

Cloud stopped in his tracks and listened harder, feeling like this voice was familiar. He knew it wasn't his mother, so that possibility was out. He honestly didn't know very many girls either.

"That sounds like Tifa." Gamma spoke up gently, as to not startle the child.

"Tifa? Why is she out in the mountains too?" The blonde asked the youngest of the three personas as the distant brunette called out again and whistled.

"It sounds like she's looking for her cat again." The young and wispy voice stated.

That's right, Tifa did have a cat! It was a white cat with a red bandanna tied around her neck. The thing always ran around doing as it pleased and often times liked to wander around here in the massif. He couldn't remember the puffball's name for the life of him though. When Cloud heard Tifa's voice growing closer, he decided to go to her. Maybe they would fair better if they searched for the cat together? As he maneuvered around a steep pillar of rock, he could see the eleven-year old brunette girl searching around.

She was still in her classic outfit: The white shirt with the tan tasseled vest thrown over it and matching skirt with deep brown hiking boots to match the ensemble. Her hat was resting against her back as the felt like strap held it secure loosely around the base of her neck.

"Mitzi! Here kitty, kitty~!" She called, looking all around the jagged rocks and in every crack and crevice she could.

"It's good to see her like this again. I can't remember the last time she seemed so carefree." Gamma softly commented.

Cloud gathered that the most timid voice of the three usually just commented and talked with himself more than he did the blonde. He didn't mind that though, the younger persona seemed easier to cope and get along with better than Alpha or Beta.

"Tifa! Hey!" Cloud called as he hurried over to her side.

The brunette immediately turned on her heel in surprise and near fright at the call, but when she saw it was the blonde her shock left and a small smile spread across her face.

"Ah, Cloud! What are you doing up here?" She asked before scanning the environment for a brief moment then turning back to him.

"Uh, I was just running away from those three again." The blonde responded as he quickly ducked his head to the right.

"Those three? Oh! Did those boys pick on you again?" The brunette sighed, not sure why he was ostracized like he was.

"So your cat ran off here again?" The blonde inquired, quickly changing the subject.

"Yes! I don't know why she always comes here, but she does." The brunette sighed.

"Do you want me to help find her?" Cloud asked.

"That'd be great! I've already checked the base and all around the village. So this was the only place she could have gone." Tifa responded as she gestured to the sierras all around them.

"The cat is hiding in a crevice not too far from here. I remember finding the cat hiding there back in my time as well." Gamma said.

"Where at?" Cloud asked the voice.

"Um, the mountains, Cloud? Somewhere around here?" She slowly responded, thinking he was still talking to her.

"Across the bridge to your right. There will be a crack in one of the cliffs small enough for the cat to wedge herself inside." The timid voice directed.

"How do you know that?" The blonde asked, not even realizing Tifa was giving him a 'Are you alright?' look.

"Because I already checked everywhere else. Are you okay? Did Avery hit you on the head today?" The brunette asked as she arched an eyebrow curiously.

"Alright, if you're sure. Let's go check." Cloud finished up as he hurried over some of the cracking cliffs ad to the rope bridge to their right.

"All... _Right_?" Tifa drawled, following along anyways despite her intense confusion.

The two crossed the rikity rope bridge carefully, knowing the thing was pretty old and too much weight left unevenly distributed would cause it to snap. The drop down was pretty nauseating to look at, so the two just kept their heads up until they reached the other side of the sierras. After a quick scan the blonde spotted the little crack near the bridge just like Gamma had stated.

Cloud dashed over and sunk to his hands and knees as he peered into the crack. He was then face-to-face with the adventurous white cat. Mitzi meowed and eased her way out of the crack, gently rubbing her face against the blonde's elbow affectionately.

"Mitzi! There you are!" Tifa cried as she scurried over and picked up the cat, snuggling the white puffball close to her chest lovingly. She then turned her gaze to the blonde currently getting back up and dusting his knees off. "How did you know where she was?" She asked.

"Oh, um, gut feeling I guess." Cloud stammered as his right hand went to rub the back of his head sheepishly. Huh, since when did he pick up this nervous habit?

"Cloud?" Gamma spoke up softly.

"What is it?" The blonde asked.

"Would it be alright if I took over? I need to talk with Tifa. There's something I have to ask her." The quiet voice requested.

"Sure, Alpha and Beta already have no problem with it." Cloud grumbled that last bit out as they took over without his approval.

As Gamma took over, it was completely different from when either other persona took over. While Alpha's felt like water and Beta's felt like fire, Gamma's was like a soothing and comforting wind. The blonde could have sworn there was even a sweet scent coaxing him to slip into a peaceful sleep. It wasn't rushed and it wasn't a sinking feeling. It was like floating down into comforting darkness with the wind whispering right next to him. Bright green eyes the color of pale mint overtook blue ones as Gamma fully took over.

"Tifa?" He asked, treading carefully.

"What is it, Cloud?" The brunette asked as she looked up from her white cat.

"I promise you that if you're ever in a bind, I'll come save you. I promise that one day after I leave here, I'll become a great hero. This time, I won't let this promise die. I'l become strong." He said, feeling great emotion swelling in his voice. He was not going to fail this time around. He was going to hold true to his word.

He was not going to let her fall prey to Sephiroth's blade.

"That sounds like a wonderful promise, I'll hold you to it." Tifa responded with a genuine smile spreading across her face.

* * *

Cloud didn't make it back to the village until well after supper time. The sun was now resting gently against the horizon line as the last of the evening colors were washing away to fade into early dusk. Some crickets began their nightly chirping as a few fireflies lit up the ever darkening world, dancing gracefully near the grass surrounding the well. The blonde strode up to the front door of his house, which was the one closest to the back of the village square.

He popped the front door open and slowly eased inside. The hanging ceiling light in hte middle of the house was on and there were scents of lingering supper still floating about: Pepper, basil, oregano, and chili powder. At first he thought his mother had already left to go to her night job seeing how she was nowhere to be seen or heard, but he was wrong when he turned back around after closing the front door behind him.

His mother seemed to stand tall above him, hands on her hips as she glared down at him. He thought for sure he was going to get a good busting. He flinched and closed his eyes, waiting for her to smack him one for being gone all day without checking in. He was wrong when he felt her arms swarm around him and her torso press into his own in a loving hug.

"Thank goodness you're okay!" She exclaimed with hardly a voice. It sounded more like a breathy whisper than actual words.

She pulled away and held him at arms length, her expression becoming less firm and more worried and curious. She used her right hand and dusted ash and pebbles from his hair, moving on to dust dirt off the front of his shirt. Why was there ash and soot in his hair? Where on earth had he gone adventuring this time? He had always been reckless in his adventures, but never had she seen soot on him. She was used to cuts and dirt, not this. She looked down and noticed he only had one of his boots on as the other was gone.

"Honey, where is your other shoe? And what on Gaia have you been doing?" She questioned, authority laced in her voice after the second question.

"I threw it at Perry and it hit him in the face." Cloud admitted.

"Why did you throw your shoe at him?" She demanded, using a motherly tone that had any child want to shut down and not answer.

"Cause he teased me. Am...I in trouble?" The blonde squeaked, not wanting to ask the question in the first place.

His mother heaved a heavy sigh as if debating if he was going to be seriously scolded or not. "No, but only because it's your birthday. Do something like hit people with your shoes or not check in with me again and you _will_ be in trouble." She decided after a moment.

"Okay." Cloud responded.

"Alright, now how about you eat some supper? After that, I've got a nice birthday cupcake with your name on it." She said with a smile as she gently brushed a lock of hair out of his face and hooked it behind his ear.

"Yeah!" The blonde agreed happily.

* * *

A/N: Good Gaia! It feels like I spent forever on this chappie! Not only that, but I'm currently battling not only allergies, but a fever as well, so that didn't help with my typing speed! XD Anyways, I hope you guys liked the chapter! Don't forget to drop me a review to let me know what you thought and think of it so far! :)

Sorry to say this, but don't expect chappie 3 to come out as fast as 2 XD

Until the next chappie everyone!  
~Zimithrus1


	3. Set Sail

Good morning, afternoon, or evening to you all! I have returned right on time just like I said I would bringing chapter three with me! :) Thank you all Soooo much for all your responses~! You guys are amazing! Well without further ado, here's the third chappie for you all :)

* * *

~3: Set Sail~

 _Bang! bang! bang!_

Cloud stirred from his slumber upon hearing those loud sounds. He rubbed his tired eyes as the persistent noises continued with a little moan. He felt the weight to his left lift, signaling his mother had risen from their bed to inspect the sources of the sounds. The blonde peeled his heavy eyelids open and blearily watched his mother shuffle towards the front door.

 _ **Bang! Bang! Bang!**_

The pounding noises were coming from the front door. They were getting louder and more insistent from the first set of impatient knocks. As the fog of sleep began to clear from his head, Cloud grew more curious about why there were knocks at their front door so late into the night. He sat up and kicked the covers off the lower half of his body before he crawled over to his mother's side of the bed and peeked around the corner. Here, he had a perfect view of the front door.

He saw his groggy mother slowly open the door with a small groan. But as that front door creaked open, a sharp gasp came from the back of her throat when there was a loud shout.

 **"Where is that little abomination?!"** The voice screeched.

Cloud quickly ducked his head back from around the corner from the volume of the shout, only having enough courage to slowly emerge it far enough for his eyes to see and assess the situation. The owner of the voice sounded a lot like the Mayor. He could see a faint orange glow being cast upon the wooden floor, stretching all the way to the back of the house. The source of the light must be very close to the front door.

"m-Mayor Lockheart? What is going on here?" Claudia questioned as the sleep left her mind as confusion set in.

"You know damn well why we're here!" Another villager standing beside the mayor barked, stepping forward ever so slightly from his prior spot. His brown hair looked disheveled as ever and his blue eyes looked quite malicious.

The blonde woman noticed that nearly all of the village had assembled on her doorstep. Only the children of the village were not present in this little meeting. Three men had torches in their hands. The fire wasn't very necessary seeing as how a simple lamp would have done the job just fine. They all wore angry faces, the angriest faces that Claudia had ever seen in her life.

"No. I do not know why you've come here so late at night, care to enlighten me, Matthews?" The blonde shot back with a growl in her voice to the man that had accused her of knowing why everyone was standing on her doorstep.

"It's that little bastard of yours, Claudia!" The mayor interjected, talking in Matthews place.

"Do not talk about my child like that, Mayor Lockheart." The blonde growled, gripping the front door tightly in her right hand. If she clutched it any tighter she might just splinter or snap the wood.

"He's only stating the truth and you know it!" Matthews spoke up with a grunt, nudging the torch in her direction.

Not liking the direction that this conversation was going, Cloud quickly ducked out of view and reached over to his side of the bed. He pushed his pillow against the wall and pulled an object he held very dear against his chest. It was a little chocobo plush with wear and tear all over the small thing. It did have a rattle in it, but it was broken to pieces inside the fabric and just sounded like dull shards of glass scratching against other shards.

"Uh-huh. Whatever you people want with my son, you can wait till tomorrow. _Goodnight_." Claudia spoke with a bite as she slammed the front door in their faces.

She heaved a heavy sigh and began to make her way back to the bed she shared with her son. More banging stopped her in her tracks though. Cloud maintained his spot peeking around the corner, feeling a great unease settling in the pit of his stomach. The blonde woman was just about to shout at the villagers and tell them to go away, but her words caught in her throat when the mayor ordered Matthews to do something.

"Break the fucking door down if you have to." His gruff voice demanded.

Dread and fear welled up in her heart as she felt the organ feel like it just sank to the pit of her stomach. Wasting no time she hurried to her boy and scooped him into her arms and took off running to the far left of the small studio house. She popped the closet door open and gently eased him onto the ground inside.

"You stay here and do _not_ move no matter what you hear. Do you understand me?" She ordered as she hands squeezed his lithe shoulders tightly.

'm-Momma?" Cloud pressed as tears of worry began to billow in the corners of his bloodshot cornflower blue eyes.

Before he could utter another word, she peeled away from him and shut the closet door. The child was shrouded in a cramping darkness that settled over him like a suffocating blanket. Fear dug its roots into his heart as his stomach churned and lurched violently. To appease the pain of nausea, he curled up into a ball and embraced his knees tightly as he clutched his favorite possession close to his heart.

He heard loud banging against the front door, heard shouting from the other side. He could hear his mother grunting as she tried to keep the front door from giving out. However, the strength of the mayor alone overpowered her own feeble attempts of keeping them out. The door splintered, wood shattering in every direction to scatter around on the ground outside and on the floor inside the house. Claudia broke away from the useless door and back stepped further into the living room as the mayor, Matthews, and two other men charged into her home.

"Hold her down." Mayor Lockheart ordered to two of the four men.

The men nodded and began to approach the small woman, both their beady brown eyes narrowed down hard as they locked on to their target.

"Get away from me! Leave us alone!" She screeched as she backed further and further to the back of the house.

She only stopped when her back gently collided with the far wall, hindering her from shrinking away. The men kept their steady advance and with overwhelming strength and speed, they tore her from the wall and pushed her down to the ground and pinned her down. One man kept a hold on the back of her head while the other went to pin her arms behind her back.

Claudia squirmed and jerked around as she tried to escape from their brutal hold. It was of no use and her struggle was just laughed at by the two villagers. With barely any effort, the two men succeeding in leaving the woman without movement as she was held against the ground to prevent rising again.

The other two began to tear through the house, knocking things over and creating a huge mess all over the floor. Claudia begged and cried out for them to just stop, but they would not listen to her at all. Eventually, the man with blonde hair and brown eyes opened up the closet door and found the blonde sitting there and shivering in fright.

Cloud's frightened eyes snapped up towards the man as fresh tears squeezed out of his eyes. The hair attached to the base of his neck was seized tightly in a burly fist, causing the little elven-year old to cry out in pain as more fat tears followed suit of the others before them. With no mercy, he was thrown out of the closet by his hair. The blonde tumbled around on the hard wood floor below him, banging his head a few times before he skidded to a stop with a harsh _scree_ sound from the wood below. Yet his right fist refused to let go of the toy it had a hold of.

His hands went to held the back of his head as he whimpered and cried. Out of instinct, his body curled up into the fetal position as he lay debilitated on the ground. The man took slow step towards him, scattering the strands of hair that had been ripped out of the blonde's head and to the floor below him. A sneer spread across his face as he used his booted foot to nudge the child on to his back.

 **"Please stop! Why are you doing this!?"** Claudia shrieked as her own tears began to coat her cheeks.

"That boy is a freak!" One of the men close to the front door spoke up as he thundered inside.

His black hair looked like he had been electrocuted and his deep brown eyes looked nearly obsidian black by how beady and angry they were. He bypassed the blonde child and went straight up to the mother.

"My wife saw him by the well earlier today. She told me the kid summoned a monster, sprouted wings out of his back and took off! Humans don't have wings! Monsters like the one he called up do!" He shouted at her.

Claudia's face fell shocked. How could she have forgotten about those wings? Those frightening wings that had just appeared yesterday out of thin air. Sure, it was unnatural and probably the most terrifying thing she had ever seen in her life, but that was her little baby. She wouldn't -or couldn't- stop loving him just because of that.

"So it's true then. The little bastard does have wings! He's a monster and he called up one of his monster buddies!" The black haired man cried out as his eyes broke away from the mother and then towards the child.

Cloud had sat up and scooted away from the villagers by this point and was now currently trying to hide in that unreachable corner that only he could squeeze into. However, the blonde man would have none of that and kicked the child hard enough to sent his little body crashing into the wall a few feet away. He crumpled to the floor like a little rag doll and twitched a few time. The air escaped from his lungs and left him wheezing for lost oxygen. He tried to breath, but found it too painful to do so.

"We won't be having any monsters in _our_ town. Nile, Kill him." Mayor Lockheart ordered the blonde man as he pointed at the frightened and incapacitated child.

"With pleasure. Never cared for him or his family anyways." He responded as he pulled out a switchblade from his pants pocket and neared down to finish the job.

" _No~!_ " Claudia cried out, trying once more to free herself from the pin she was in.

Even though the blonde was frightened and terrified, he knew he just couldn't sit there and let the villagers kill him. Able to catch his breath, he scrambled to his feet and jumped out of the way just in time for the small blade to miss him, the toy's broken rattle jingling along with. He knocked over one of the kitchen table chairs in the process, but it didn't matter anymore seeing how the rest of the house was already in shambles.

Nile ran at Cloud and held the small blade high above his head so he could bring it down with all of his strength. However, the child was much faster than the man and scurried in between his legs and ending up behind him as the knife stabbed empty air. The eleven-year old might have evaded the blonde, but now the ravenette villager was coming at him. He momentarily froze, knowing he couldn't pull the same trick twice. The blonde dashed at the man like he was going to do what he just did, but at the last second he hopped to the right and stumbled out of his reach.

"Cloud! Run away!" Claudia shouted as tears momentarily blurred her vision before she blinked them back.

"No Momma, I can't leave you!" The blonde child responded as he scurried away from the ravenette again.

"Get out of this village _right now!_ " She commanded in a scream.

"I-I can't Mom! Not without you! I don't want to be alone!"

" **I don't want you dead! Now GO!** "

Cloud honestly didn't know what it was, the shouting from his mother or his own instincts taking over, but he scurried towards the front door as thought and reason left him. In its wake was the desire to live and survive, to obey. He was able to squeeze past the Mayor with ease, but the other villagers still remained crowded by the front door.

Surprisingly, they split down the middle as Cloud broke through. Nile and the ravenette didn't want to let the blonde go though. They charged through the splintered front door and into the crowd to get at the child they labeled a monster. The blonde broke out into a sprint toward the village entrance, running as hard and fast as his little body would let him. His chocobo toy made those broken rattling noises as he scampered away. As he ran he heard a few other villagers beginning to cheer.

"Yeah! Run away you little freak!"

"He's surely gonna be killed out there!"

"Get out of here monster!"

"Go die like your deadbeat father!"

Tears blurred his vision and he hiccuped and sobbed as he broke through the invisible barrier of the town's entrance. He kept running and crying as he put more distance between himself and the village. He would not stop until his body gave way. It wasn't until he could no longer hear the voices that he stopped. He wiped his eyes with his hands as he continued to cry and shake. His whole body trembled as his voice quivered with each sob and labored breath he drew in.

"Cloud..." The voice of Alpha cut in.

" **I didn't ask for this!** " The blonde screeched to the voice in his head. He drew in a large and quivering breath as it came right back out in a drawled out sob.

"Please listen-"

"No! Go away and leave me alone! This is all your fault! I may not have been the most well liked kid in town, but at least I was _tolerable!_ Now everyone thinks I'm a monster because of you and _your_ wings!" Cloud shouted once more, his voice cracking and breaking as it fluctuated as he spoke.

 _"..."_

"Get a hold of yourself. The villagers already thought of you as a freak anyways, so does it really matter?" Beta chimed in as Alpha fell silent to the child's outburst.

"At least they didn't wanna _kill_ me! Y-You go away too!" Cloud shouted, his voice breaking into more sobs than words by this point.

"Woah, don't take this out on me." The middle voice grunted.

"It's Alpha's fault! It's his fault!" The blonde blamed as he sunk to his knees in shin-length deep green grass, holding his chocobo tightly against his chest as he blamed the elder voice over and over again like a mad mantra.

"...If I did not do anything, Gaia would not have this chance."

"Damn Gaia to Heck! You should have let it die!"

"Look. I know you want nothing more than to blame Alpha and damn Gaia for what's happening, but cursing us or the world isn't going solve anything. What's done is done and you have to move on." Gamma spoke up, being the most insightful of the three voices when it came to personal feelings and matters as such.

"But-...It's just not fair, I didn't ask for this to happen..." Cloud whined, his fit beginning to lessen as Gamma became the voice of reason.

"I know you didn't. None of us asked or even wanted this to happen. Regardless, it happened anyways. I know you're hurting and you just want to go back to how simple your life was before now, but it just can't be done. Gaia has a way of picking on us regardless of the situation. Cloud, we're all you and I can tell you we've all seen and done things we didn't want to, but we did anyways. This is the price of being Gaia's savior."

"Still... This is all so overwhelming. I'm just a kid, what good can I do?" Cloud asked aloud as his sobbing and erratic behavior fell into the past as he began to slowly regain composure.

"You still have our insight. There is plenty you can do and many things you can achieve with our help, tutelage, and guidance." Gamma assured.

"Regardless, it's weird having three other me's living in my head. I feel like I'm going crazy every time I hear or talk to you."

"You'll adjust, eventually. Right now you just need to keep moving forward. There's still a lot that has to be done." Gamma finished.

Cloud nodded as wiped away the last of his tears from his eyes. A cool breeze gently ruffled the blonde's hair and clothes. He turned his head up to the obsidian black sky. Millions of stars blinked and shimmered dimly in every direction you looked. The full moon hung directly overhead from where the blonde sat in the soft grass. Save for the breeze, the night was still and silent. There were no crickets chirping and all of the birds were nestled in trees fast asleep. In the far off distance, a few waves from the ocean could be heard lapping up against the shore.

Cloud stood up from the gentle earth below and took in a deep breath through his nose. When his thoughts strayed over to his mother and how he had to leave her behind, he felt like crying all over again. He didn't want to leave her side. He bit his bottom lip harshly to distract his mind from it and to just focus on the pain instead. He had to move on, just like Gamma said.

But it hurt unbelievably bad and even though he tried his best to focus his pain on his lip, a few tears squeezed out of the corners of his eyes. He was just a scared little kid that wanted his mother more than ever right now. He held his head up and tried to make the tears recede back into his eyes, as if gravity should actually perform such a feat. He ran his right arm across his eyes as he tried not to think about it.

He looked back down and at his favorite possession with a forlorn expression on his face. He quickly hugged it once more before gently placing the item into his right pocket in his black shorts. His sky blue shirt a size too big for him had a thin glaze of sweat on the back from his sprint. He took in a shaky breath and released it through his mouth with a little scared whimper following suit. He continued to do this a few more times until he finally stopped whimpering and his breaths no longer quivered.

 _'_ Have you calmed down?" Alpha asked.

"Nn, yeah." Cloud responded a bit uneasily. It was indeed going to take some time to get used to the voices popping up whenever they pleased.

"Good. I would like to have dealt with of a few more undertakings in Nibelheim, but, I will need to put them on hold for the moment."

So...What do we have'ta do anyways?" Cloud asked as he continued to look around at the scenery as he spoke, rubbing at his irritated blue eyes a bit longer.

"Generally speaking, we have to stop general Sephiroth from discovering a false truth about his origins. How we go about doing so is really up to you as long as we can eliminate the key factors that lead up to it along the way."

"You mean, _the general,_ general?" Cloud gawked.

'Yes.' Alpha responded.

"And we gotta stop him from doing what exactly?"

"Discovering Jenova. The files pertaining to her and the research of her and his origins have already been vanquished. So one stage has been dealt with."

"How many more steps do we have?"

"A few. Jenova herself still needs to be eliminated, but we cannot take care of that now. Destroying the Black Materia is a must in case we need a fall back plan, but this task can wait. All in all, what really needs to be taken care of the most is making it to Midgar and joining the ranks of SOLDIER so we can monitor the general and deal with other notions as an afterthought."

"Join SOLIDER..." Cloud mimicked breathlessly.

"For now, make your way to Cosmo Canyon, it is the closest town from here." Alpha directed.

"Mm." Cloud responded, finally breaking away from the spot he had been standing at for many minutes.

He headed in an eastern direction towards the mentioned town. If his geography skills were correct, the town would be located towards the east past the Nibel river and wedged deep into the canyons beyond. He just hoped he'd be able to make it there in good time before it got too late. Or later than it already was. He wasn't a time telling expert, but he knew it's wasn't too late at night. He had been put to bed around nine and he knew he hadn't been asleep for very long. It was probably ten or so at night.

As he made his way across the large open fields, the crickets began to chirp. The blonde took that as a good sign as he widened the distance between himself and his village. He still missed his mother very much however and he hoped and prayed to a God he didn't believe in that she was alright.

* * *

Claudia found herself smiling as her child took off out of the house. Nile and Greg chased him out, but she knew they weren't going to get very far. A part of her was heartbroken that she had to force him to leave and wanted him to come back desperately, but the other part of her said that this was for the best. She'd rather have her baby run away and be alive than have him stay here with her just so he could die. Either way had more cons than pros, but she'd just have to bear through them.

She'd already lost her husband, she didn't want to loose her son on top of that. She heard the shouts and cheers from the villagers outside her shambled house. It angered her to no end about the things they were saying about him, but a small part of her was glad. That meant he had been able to get out unharmed and he was going to be safe in the end.

"Tch. The Bastard got away." The mayor scoffed as he shook his head.

The two men holding her down, Jason and Alex, finally released her from the ground. Claudia pulled her arms away with a jerk and stood back up on her feet, albeit rather shakily. She looked hard at the mayor with a fire burning behind her eyes.

"So, what are you going to do with the mother of a monster?" She bit, venom laced in her tone.

"At least now you'll have more food for yourself. Come on, show's over everyone." The mayor responded, completely ignoring Claudia's question.

The other villagers made their way our of the shambled home and to their own. Soon, silence encroached all around her. So that was it. They just came here to try and kill her boy. They acted like it was just another night in the end after the 'excitement' ended. Now she was just expected to resume her life and continue on without her child. This village was the lowest. But what could she do about it? She was just a poor girl with hardly any Gil to her name living souly on her crops and her night work just to make ends meet.

It hurt badly knowing that she couldn't be with her baby, but it was for the best in the end. If he were to come back, he'd be good as dead. She just hoped he'd be able to figure out where to go and what to do, he was only eleven-years old after all. But something deep inside told her that she didn't need to worry about it, that he'd be fine. However, it wasn't enough solace for her right now.

Now her house and her heart were in shambles and all she could do was try to fix them both up on her own.

* * *

Cloud stood near the bank of the river, watching the water rush by to meet with the ocean in a hurry. His blue eyes watched a few strands of near black liquid rushing past and clamoring all over the other fast moving currents around it. He hadn't planned out what to do next, completely forgetting all about the wild and deep river that jut through the land. He could hardly see the other side of the land from where he currently stood, so swimming was out.

"Cloud, if I may?" Alpha chimed, catching the child's attention.

"Huh?" The blonde absently responded, half listening and half stuck in concentration at how to cross.

"I believe if I were to use my wings I could fly straight over the river." The Weapon stated.

"Oh, sure." Cloud responded, tapping his chin in thought.

Without really realizing he had just agreed to let Alpha take over, that's exactly what the elder voice did. That encroaching water wave pulled the child under and chilled him right down to the core before slipping away into unconsciousness. Gold eyes burst through blue as the Weapon took full reign. He shook his head to the left and right as a cool breeze blew past.

With no effort that was more like second nature, those white and gold wings slowly unfurled from his back yet managed to keep the blue shirt on his back in tact. The appendages shuddered delightfully as the wind gently brushed through each feather, caressing it soothingly before taking off. With a jump straight into the air, the wings burst forth and propelled the small body high into the night air. The wind was stronger up here, playing with the blonde's hair and clothes as it swirled all around his lithe frame.

Wasting no time, Alpha glided straight over the rushing river. He didn't want to waste too much time with his presence overtaking the child's. Every possession was hard on the eleven year old's body and left him quite tired if any other persona kept control for too long. Only spending less than a minute in the air, the Weapon touched down to the ground below on the other side of the river. As his wings gently furled into his back, he allowed the blonde to take control over his body once more.

Dazed blue eyes spotted through the gold before that sky color was all that remained. He shook his head as a wave of dizziness assaulted him. It was always quite the rush as his own mind met with his body, sending him for quite a whirl when he returned. Thankfully Alpha had not stayed in control long enough to completely drain the child of his strength and only left a light-headed feeling behind. It was quickly shaken away as he regained full control of himself once more.

Cloud looked straight ahead of him and saw those orange-hued cliffs in the nearby distance. Hopefully he wouldn't have to walk too far tonight. While he was always up for a good adventure, he'd rather wait till the daybreak so he could have lots of energy and spend this time sleeping away. The thought of sleep brought a tired smile to Cloud's face, he could really go for a snooze right about now.

Propelled by the aspect of sleep, he soldiered on through the grassy terrain. Each deep green blade rose to the middle of his shin as he pushed past them. It almost felt like walking through thin mud: A bit of a nuisance, but it can be done with ease. More crickets provided a soft accompaniment to the gentle breeze dancing through the skies all around them. It was peaceful and serene on this side of the river. Close to Nibelheim, all you could hear was the howling of the wolves and the occasional winter avalanche. That village had always been much too silent.

Cloud soon realized he was void of shoes when his right foot connected with a stray rock that had tumbled away from the cliffs. The blonde back stepped as a cry of pain echoed into the still night air. He looked down to assess the damage done to his poor foot. A small tear had been ripped through the aging fabric of his black sock and there was a scratch on the skin.

"Stupid rock!" He cursed, blowing a raspberry at it as he stepped around it to continue on.

He made sure to keep his eyes situated further to the ground so he could be on the look out for more mean rocks that dared to cut his feet. Soon, the grass began to dwindle and more shards of loose rocks and stones became present. When the blonde looked up a bit, he noticed he had arrived at the orange cliff sides. He hopped up on to the rocks as the grass all but vanished now.

"Be careful here. There are some nocturnal monsters that live in these canyons." Beta warned from the back of the blonde's head.

"Oh! Um, I'll be careful." Cloud responded, heart skipping with fright at the suddenness of the middle's voice. He had forgotten that he was the loudest of all three voices. He was _definitely_ going to take some time to get used to.

He braved through the treacherous canyons and cliffs, scaling and ascending higher and higher as he grew closer to Cosmo Canyon. As he climbed, his poor feet were attacked over and over again by loose pebbles and sharp rocks. The child made sure to curse each of them with venom laced in his voice. By the time he made it halfway towards the village, his feet were covered in cuts and was leaving a small dotted blood trail behind him.

Cloud plopped down against the cliffs with a moan and a whine, using his hands to rub the soles of his aching and hurting feet. He couldn't remember the last time he had walked so much or so far without shoes on. What he would give for his hiking boots right about now. He winced when his dirt coated fingers squeezed a fresh cut too harshly or brushed across a tender area.

"What are you doing?" Beta questioned suddenly.

"Takin' a break! My feet hurt! Cloud whined as he continued to rub them.

"We're exposed like this! It's best we keep moving and not stop. You'll be easy food for the monsters in this area." The middle voice exclaimed.

"Well you aren't the one walkin'!" The blonde brought up with a bit of a huff.

"Maybe not, but-"

Beta's voice was cut off when a clattering noise echoed across the stone cliffs. Cloud's head shot up, trying to pinpoint the location in which it came from. However, the echoing across the canyons caused it to sound like it came from every conceivable direction possible. Another clattering noise was located further to his right that he could detect. His head shot to the right and his blue eyes were quick to shrink in fright.

A weird looking hybrid monster was crouched low to the ground, slowly inching its way closer to the blonde. When the child made direct eye contact with the beast, it froze in place. It looked so still that it freaked the child out genuinely, like a mannequin was staring at him.

It had the head of a bald eagle, a long and pointy beak that looked just right for ripping prey to shreds. Bright brown feathers rest on its broad chest and it's front two front legs were just like the legs and talons of an eagle with white and brown wings to match. Those were tucked to its sides tightly as if waiting to spring open at the right moment. The back half of it was entirely lion, an orange brown color for the coat. Massive hind legs that were adapt for running and leaping with a tail completed the ensemble. It's bright beady yellow eyes burned straight through the blonde's.

"A Griffon. Terrific." Beta grumbled.

"w-what do I do?" Cloud whispered, eyes never breaking contact with the Griffon's.

"You aren't going to do anything. I'll handle this."

That was all the heads-up the blonde was given before Beta took over without even asking. The fire licked through the blonde's body and made him feel very uncomfortable. Just as the heat seemed to be too much to bear, it faded into complete numbness as his mind slipped away without a further thought. Crimson eyes the color of blood lust broke through mild blue as Beta took complete control.

He jumped to his feet, eyes quickly breaking away to scan his surroundings for anything he could use as a decent weapon. Rocks, rocks, stones and pebbles. Nothing but the loose rocks of the canyon itself! There had to be _something_ besides Gaiadamned- Wait. They still had the Phoenix summon. Beta shoved his hands into his pockets, moving past the jingling chocobo toy and straight to the warm ball of flame that housed the creature.

A summon was quite unnecessary for just a griffon, but with no other weapon and no other options, it left Beta with simply no other choice in the end. He held the ball up into the air and curled his fingers around it tightly. The orb glowed a bright white before creating a blinding sheen in every direction. Phoenix burst through with a mighty shriek as she ascended into the air, spreading her fiery wings out as cinders fell to the canyon below.

She was angry at this beast for scaring her wielder! With another shrill cry that sounded more like an ear-piercing screech, she enveloped her body in her fiery feathers, catching herself ablaze. She then dive-bombed straight at the measly griffon. It stood no chance at all as a large explosion of fire scattered in a three-sixty degree angle, splashing against the walls and ground of the canyon to paint it charcoal black. The griffon was singed to a crisp, nothing more than a small pile of ashes against the blackened canyon area.

The summon returned to her wielder's side, touching down against the rocky ground below her with grace. Beta ran his right index finger over the top of her beak as a 'good work' notion. The bird twittered happily at the touch before she curled into flames and burst, vanishing back into the warm Materia once more. The red-eyed blonde pocketed the warm orb into the right pocket before he let the original owner of the body return.

Cloud was more than dazed when he returned, loosing a large amount of strength as he crumpled to the canyon below. He was panting for air as he struggled to stay upright from the sudden depletion of strength. Every time Beta took over, he took more energy than necessary and left the blonde gasping and wheezing. He was truly powerful and did not hold back when he fought. He gave it his all which in turn took a toll on the child that did not harness such strength or stamina to keep up with the demanding persona.

"Ho-ho-ho! Intruiging! Astounding!" A voice broke through the air.

Cloud glanced over his shoulder towards the origin of the sound. There was an old man standing a top one of the higher cliffs. He easily looked old enough to be father time himself. He was completely bald, save for some snow white hair near the base of his neck pulled back and secured with feathers. His facial hair reminded the blonde of walrus whiskers by the way it branched out like little spikes and shielded his mouth.

He had on an indigo tribal outfit that was like a long cloak a monk might wear. Small circular sunglasses sat on the bridge of his nose and shielded his eyes, preventing the blonde from seeing what color they were. He appeared to be A Cosmo Canyon native. No one else would dress like that unless they lived there.

"The summon was rather overdoing it a bit for just a griffon, but that power was overwhelming! How in Gaia could it come from such a young child as yourself? Ho-ho-ho." The elder spoke to himself as he began to make his way towards the panting blonde.

"But I do believe the bigger question that must be asked is what is a small child doing out in the middle of the canyon in the middle of the night?" He spoke again, suddenly standing right in front of the child like he had moved in the blink of an eye.

"p-Please sir, I'm trying to get to Cosmo Canyon..." Cloud explained desperately as he moved to try and stand up, only to crumple against the canyon from the lack of strength.

' _Goodness, such a change in attitude as well...where did that assertive nature beforehand go?_ No need to fret young one, we are very close to the village now." The man stated, keeping his inner musings to himself.

Cloud's eyes lit up when he heard that. A little grin pulled at the corners of his dry lips. "Oh, good! I hope the inn is still open...Hope they can get me something for twelve Gil..." Cloud mumbled, remembering he only had only his measly allowance on him at the moment.

"Young one, our inn costs more than that I'm afraid." The elder spoke up softly.

"O-oh..." The blonde croaked, eyes drooping as he be came very crestfallen.

Now what would he do? He might be able to get to the town, but he wouldn't be able to sleep there! He could always nap outside, but it wasn't very comfortable to do so. Not to mention that it was only going to start getting colder now seeing how the month of August was coming to a close soon. What should he do? What _could_ he do?

"Little one, you may stay with me, but on one condition." The elder spoke up.

"What is it?" Cloud eagerly exclaimed.

"I want you to tell me about that strange strength you have hidden away." He finalized.

"Yes, sure!" The blonde all but squealed.

Looking like he was going to get a place to rest his head tonight after all!

* * *

Cosmo Canyon was a beautiful earthy town. The village itself was colored in a marvelous array of sunny colors even in the darkness of the night. The faces of the cliffs were a bright golden orange that tapered off into a light and chocolatey shade of brown. A few torches stationed by the village gate and around each shop and house provided the town with a soft yellow-orange glow. The ground was still that same stone canyon from earlier, but it seemed much more smooth here than it was out there.

The way each house and establishment was carved into the cliffs was an amazing feat in itself. There were deep caverns and narrow tunnels that lead further into the mountainside where even more homes lay, much like intricate tunnels created by meerkats or prairie dogs. It gave off such a comforting aura that the blonde thought he hadn't set foot outside his own village.

"Bugenhagen, you've returned!" A voice called out.

Cloud abruptly stopped his gazing when that voice had spoken up. Standing by the gate was a village guard. His armor was mostly leather and soft fabric than it was steel or metal. Even the uniform looked just as earthy as the village itself. The blonde couldn't distinguish any predominant facial features due to the leather helmet that sat atop his head. The volume of his boisterous voice caused the child to shrink back some.

"Ah, Kinly. Did anything occur while I was away?" The elder asked.

Cloud was then able to put a name with a face. So this kind elderly man that offered him shelter in exchange of his story had a name after all. A silly thought indeed though, everyone had a name.

"Peaceful as always, nothing to report." The helmed guard known as Kinly responded.

"Ho-ho-ho, Wonderful!" Bugenhagen cheered before passing by the village guard with ease.

The blonde was quick to follow suit behind the small man. Kinly looked him over, but let him in without a word. He stuck close to the elder's side, not wanting to loose track of him in this intricate maze of a village. He was lead through tunnels and up ladders, cutting across high up cliffs and even some shops along the way. After two fights of carved out canyon stairs and three sets of rope ladders, Cloud emerged on the summit of Cosmo Canyon. A large home that looked more like an observatory sat atop the point. A large telescope was seen poking through the roof of the house.

The wind had picked up quite a bit at this elevation, rustling his thick and long blonde hair around. A few strands poked him in the eye or obscured his vision. He wished he had brought along one of his hairbands so he could put his shoulder blade length hair up. His scratched and bloodied feet started to bother him all of a sudden and he found himself just wanting to go inside and sit down.

"Come." Bugenhagen urged as he seemed to float towards the front door of the large house.

Cloud followed behind as fast as he could, having to limp as the pain in his feet began to increase. The elderly man opened the front door with a clockwise turn of the doorknob. He pushed it open and held it like that so the child could enter first. He did so and was immediately met with a face full of hanging beads the colors of an evening sky. He swatted them away with a startled cry as his scraped feet met with a soft rug. He took his time to look around.

The inside of the home looked to have been carved into the bottom of the plateau below them, the walls resembling the canyon cliffs themselves. The floor was a mix of steel grating and plain cement with colorful red rugs scattered around. Towards the back of the establishment lay the kitchen with a few barrels and other objects scattered around to the left of the kitchen sink. Towards the right lay a smaller room where a steel ladder could be seen, indicating that this home had more than one floor. Two windows were present beside the fridge and near a wooden back door.

Upstairs probably lay the bedroom, and since this home looked to be more of an observatory, there was probably a third floor as well. Bugenhagen passed by and was indeed floating by. Cloud wondered in astonishment at how he did that. The elder man floated over to the kitchen sink and turned the hot water on full blast, soon adding a small amount of colder water from the other handle. He grabbed a small container of liquid hand soap and pumped some of the transparent blue goo into the water.

"Come here, child." The white haired elder directed, using his right hand to wave him over without looking up from the soapy water.

Cloud followed without hesitation, shuffling his way towards the left of the older man. He watched the sink fill with small frothy bubbles from the soap as Bugenhagen stuck his left hand into the mixture and swirled it around. The blonde watched the bubbles move hypnotically in a counterclockwise circle. Blue eyes would stick to a few bubbles in particular until he lost sight of them or if they popped. The old man turned off the water and removed his hand from the soapy reservoir.

Suddenly, he reached down and curled his aging fingers underneath the blonde's armpits and hoisted him up into the air, then on to the counter next to the sink. Cloud was more than surprised at the action, not knowing such a small and old man would posses enough strength to lift him up, even if he was only seventy-two pounds.

"Take your socks off." The man directed as the blonde could barely see a smile from underneath his thick mustache.

The blonde did as he was told and removed the tattered articles of clothes, setting them to the side. He then looked back to the elder with confused little eyes.

"Go on, dip your feet in." He said, gesturing to the warm and soapy water.

Cloud swiveled himself on the counter and gently eased his sore and scratched up feet into the water. The soap burned momentarily and made him flinch, but the warm water took care of the burning in an instant and relaxed him. A soft smile spread across his face at the perfect temperature as he gently sloshed the water around. He then looked back towards Bugenhagen as confusion took over his relaxed delight.

"Why'd you do this for me?" He asked as he blew a few strands of hair out of his eyes, only to large at the accursed strands when they fell back in front of his face.

"I wanted you to be comfortable before we began." Bugenhagen responded as he briefly tore his eyes away from the blonde to search for something near the barrels.

He pulled out a small hairband that looked more like an adjustable leather strap with two small feathers attached to it. The feathers were long and beautiful, like they had come straight from a river chocobo themselves. The six inch feathers were deep blue at the base and tapered into a bright sky blue at the tips.

"Oh, yeah. My story, right?" Cloud asked, just to make sure as the elderly man pulled away the nuisance that was his thick blonde hair back.

With gentle guidance and a soft touch that felt more like his mother's, his thick hair was was pulled into a low and tight ponytail like how he usually wore it. The feathers added a tribal feel and even matched his shirt color as they reached past his shoulder blades to gently touch his upper back.

"Yes." Bugenhagen responded as he playfully flicked one of the soft and fleece-like feathers.

"Oh, is this okay? I mean, I don't want to use it if you don't want me too..." Cloud quickly asked as he gestured to the band that held his hair back.

"It is fine, I have plenty. Now, How about you tell me about that sudden strength of yours and where that other attitude went?" The older man began, beginning to float comfortably beside the child soaking and washing his feet.

"Mm well, Alpha's much better at explaining these confusing things than I am, so is Gamma." Cloud responded as if he was unsure of his own abilities of explanation.

"Alpha? Gamma? Who are they?" Bugenhagen inquired, suddenly doing double takes towards his front door to see if others had followed them inside.

"Oh, they're my other me's."

"Other you's?" The elder repeated inquisitively as snow white eyebrows arched in his excited curiosity.

"Yeah, umm...I'm gonna talk to Alpha for a minute." Cloud told him as his eyes rolled up to look at the ceiling. "Alpha, can you talk to Bugenhagen? I'm not good with this confusing stuff." He asked the elder voice.

"I would have to assume control of your body once more. Is it safe to say that you are okay with this?" The elder voice asked. He had such a strange and proper way of speaking, like normal words weren't good enough to roll off his tongue.

"Mmm...Just don't make it too long." Cloud decided.

"As you wish." The voice spoke.

That rush swept over the blonde, feeling more calming than it was suffocating. He was able to slip away easily and with peace rather than clawing at the surface. Gold overtook blue once more as Alpha reigned supreme over the little body. His head gently turned towards Bugenhagen as he let the older man study the change in his eyes. Granted, the man was old, but the Weapon was eons older than he could ever hope to achieve.

"Good evening, I am known as Alpha. I understand you have a few inquiries you might want to address?" The Weapon asked politely.

"Goodness me! It is like you've become another person...Another you, as you stated. Is this true?"

"Indeed so. Inside my psyche, three different personas exist. You have encountered my child. The others are known as Beta and Gamma, my other two identities that dwell as separate entities because of the Goddess' Minerva's incompetence."

"Is such an occurrence really possible?"

"When you are one of Gaia's WEAPON's, then I would believe so. Minerva created me many millinia ago. Yet in this timeline, I would have been created in the distant future."

"You are a WEAPON? A human?

"I am no human, I have only retained a humanoid appearance is all."

"So, what I'm understanding is that your four separate personalities have all been stuffed into one body?"

"That would be correct." Alpha responded in a bland manner.

"How did this happen?" Bugenhagen questioned enthusiastically.

"Minerva sent me back in time thrice. Now I am here ergo a fourth time to stop Gaia from crumbling after a certain chain of events. Be that as it may, when she sent me back this time, she attempted to keep my recollections in place. She botched up and created each of my different identities from my past lives to part into diverse individuals all together. They are all me, we are just broken fragments that were once whole."

"Time travel... My goodness! Astounding! But how does this explain the sudden change in personality and strength?"

"That is correct. We different beings may assume control over the child's body whenever we wish or when asked to do as such. When we become conscious in that form, everything from our past life exchanges over with the exception of genuine physical appearance and stamina. This implies our will rather than the child's, hence the identity switch."

"Ho-ho-ho, I see! Very astounding indeed!" Bugenhagen exclaimed as he bounced in the air he was floating on.

"Do you have any more inquires for me?" Alpha questioned as he readjusted his feet in the cooling water.

"None left." The elder spoke.

With that, golden eyes closed momentarily as that expressionless face softened up some. The blonde's eyes scrunched together tightly before slowly prying themselves open again, blue returning to the iris rather than the gold before. The elder noted he looked ready to fall unconscious at any moment. He looked quite drained and very pale suddenly as all color left his face. The child had returned once more and was quite dazed indeed. Each time they switch, it must take quite the toll on the young one's lithe and rather malnourished body.

"I... Hope Alpha was able to answer your questions." Cloud spoke wearily as his head fell against his raised knees as his strength nearly completely depleted.

"Very well in fact. I imagine you must be exhausted." Bugenhagen responded as he grabbed a towel sitting idly on one of the barrels beside the counter.

The blonde nodded his head from his knees as a tired smile crawled across his face. The elder man gently pulled the blonde's feet out of the sink by his ankles and laid the towel down before setting them against it. The blonde went right to work in drying off his wet feet with little to no energy or enthusiasm. After a good three possessions, he was bound to collapse eventually. It was amazing he was still awake right now.

Bugenhagen drained the soapy water from the sink just as the blonde finished pat drying his feet. With a bit of help, he was lifted off the counter and set to the ground. Cloud's knees nearly buckled under his own weight and had to be steadied out before he fell over. The elder helped the child to the ladder further back in the house and even helped him ascend the steel rungs slowly and carefully.

The second floor of the house was indeed a bedroom. It was a very small bedroom with a living room mixed right in the middle of it. On the left, there was a small bed adorned in light blue sheets and fluffy pillows. In the center of the small room was a glass coffee table and a couch a few feet directly behind it. Bugenhagen mostly slept on the couch, so he lead the child over to the bed and pulled back the puffy covers.

Cloud sluggishly climbed in and hunkered down hard, nestling his head deep into the fluffy feather-down pillow. The blanket was pulled up to his shoulders as the elder smiled slowly.

"Mm, thank you Bugenhagen... I can't-" The blonde began, only to nod off in the middle of talking as the exhaustion finally caught up with him.

"You're welcome." The elder responded as he retreated to the couch to get some sleep himself.

Tomorrow he'd help the child out with whatever he needed, for a bit more information of course.

* * *

A/N: Whew! Here's a good place to stop for now! I hope you guys liked the chappie! :) And hey, I actually updated this on time like I said I would last week! Whoot for a schedule and a game plan! So I can say expect chapter four to be out by this next Sunday or Monday :3

PS: If you are curious about the cover art for this fic, it was done by myself and if you would like to see it in higher quality you can check out my deviantart page :3 My username there is the same as it is here XD

Hope you all had a great Memorial day! For those of you that are serving or have served in the military, or even had family that served in the military, I personally thank you all for all that you do! :)

Until the next chapter everyone!  
~Zimithrus1


	4. Ahead On Our Way

Hello everyone! Welcome to chapter four of Tsudzukeru! I know, a few days ahead of schedule? *gasp* This is simply unheard of! XD I would like to thank everyone that has faved, followed, reviewed, and PM'd me! I know my work is a little bit hole-y right now, but I am trying to work on it the best I can! Without further ado, enjoy chapter four :)

* * *

~4: Ahead On Our Way~

 _The sky was nothing but choking black smoke. It drifted through the air like dense fog and curled around busted streetlamps like groping shadows. Monstrously tall buildings were up in thick orange flames, that being the only thing illuminating this dark night. Throngs of screaming people echoed from each street, each boulevard, each corner. Mothers clung to their children and they hurried away as fast as they could. It would be of no use however._

 _You cannot run from your own shadow._

 _The darkness that trailed behind each individual would rise up from the ground like a black blanket, swelling, suffocating. It would then smother its' castor to death until nothing remained. Not even clothes were left behind, the shadows devoured it all. If you were unlucky enough to be devoured by your own shadow, it would consume your soul and create a new pawn, a new Raven. This was a fate worse than Meteor, a fate worse than Geostigma. This was a fate in which no matter what happened, it could not be altered or fixed. The human race was indeed in their last moments._

 _Cloud Strife looked all around him, glaring through the thick black smoke as he tried to locate his target. He stood alone, long separated from his friends since they infiltrated the ruins of old Midgar. They had meant to regroup in front of the Shin-Ra tower, but so far none of them had shown. Now here he stood, alone and very near his greatest enemy yet. He could not see him, but knew he was very close by._

 _The man may not have been as hell-bent as Sephiroth had been when he sought the end of Gaia, but he did wish to eradicate the human race. Those that were strong enough to survive he planned to transmogrify into Ravens. Ravens were brainwashed humans that have their memories eradicated and implanted with one simple goal: Follow the leader's commands and do as he says, obey._

 _If it had not been for that man, if it had not been for the world's complete and utter obliviousness, then maybe the humans could have possessed a fighting chance. However it was all for naught in the end. That man, a mysterious figure cloaked so well in the darkness that no one even knew his name. He was only referred to as Shadow: Named after the inanimate objects that he could possess and control with ease._

 _Shadow had been Shin-Ra's most deepest and darkest secret. Even more so than Deepground had been. He had been locked away deep in the depths of Banora grounds, part of some of the sick and disturbing experiments that were conducted in that boon dock town. He had been unknowingly set free a good six years ago when a familiar First Class had stumbled upon him. If only he had known what he had released into the world, but how could he now that he had been long dead?_

 _High-pitched cackling had Cloud's head snap up above him. His Mako blue eyes glared fiercely when they connected with Shadow's. The man was floating high above in the air, mock sitting against it with his left leg crossed over his right as his right elbow dug into his clothed skin. He had the right side of his face resting in his hand as a slow smile complete with jagged, inhuman teeth spread across his face. Floating midair was just something he could easily perform with the help of his shadows. Shadows can be cast more than on the ground after all._

 _His left golden yellow eye twinkled as he spotted the twenty-eight year old on the cracking ground below him. His right eye was obscured by his thick and matted raven black bangs, the rest of his hair swirled all around him, having to be just as long as the five-foot eleven man himself. His black trench coat covered every inch of his body save for his scarred and deformed hands. His fingers looked more like the claws of an eagle with the nails to match the talons._

 _"Clo-oud! How very nice to see you!" Shadow sang in his tenor voice. He then looked to the left and right suddenly, then back down at the blonde with a wider grin. "Why, where in the wide, wide world of Gaia have your companions gone?" He mused with a hum._

 _"They're just cleaning up the trash!" The blonde spat, referring to Shadow's Raven pawns._

 _Ravens swarmed the city more so than the devouring shadows themselves. Ravens were easy to eliminate, but the shadows that the man controlled was an entirely different story. Shadows created by a man with remnants of the Black Materia infused with his flesh could only be destroyed with the White Materia._

 _The accursed black orb had been salvaged from the northern crater during the Deepground incident and Shadow had been the subject they tested its fusion rate with. Even after he had been set free from Banora, he couldn't run from Shin-Ra forever. No one could in the end. If only they had destroyed the orb when they had the chance instead of just leaving it be._

 _Unfortunately, The shadows could only be stopped or destroyed with the White Materia, and the only wielder had been long dead for many years. The others had attempted to use the holy orb before, but it would not answer to those that were not of the Cetra race._

 _The blonde kept the white orb with him at all times as a reminder of the life that was lost, as well as a reminder that he had been forgiven. He had retrieved it from the Forgotten City after Deepground had been vanquished and held on to it for safekeeping. It was like a security blanket, it just gave his troubled soul some much needed peace. Humankind was indeed on its last legs now. There would be no hope unless Cloud and his friends managed to narrowly pull through once again._

 _"The trash? Oh goodness, Cloud. My pawns are not trash. However, you and your little friends fit that to a capital T!" Shadow exclaimed, cackling once more as he made a capital 'T' with his index fingers._

 _"Spare me from your laughter, it's so ear-piercing I think I'd rather listen to screeching nails on a chalkboard!" The blonde bit with a sarcastic smirk pulling at the corners of his lips._

 _"...You think you're funny don't you?" Shadow growled, loosing all humor as his golden eye glowed dark in the choking black smoke._

 _Cloud knew that joking around was over and it was time to get serious. He clutched Fusion sword tighter in his right hand as he readied himself into a fighting position. If he had to, he'd leap up there and cut the ravenette's damn mouth off._

 _"Well then, I do believe some of my humor is in order, don't you think?" Shadow inquired before he removed his face from his right hand. He clapped them together twice, the sound echoing through the smoky air. "-You may show yourselves, my beloved pawns." He finished with a big grin that nearly pulled up to his ears._

 _Cloud's eyes instantly broke away from Shadow's and in every direction around him. He even completed a three-sixty degree circle as he glared through the blinding black smoke. At first there was nothing, not even a sound or a voice. Then figures began to emerge from the smoke. The blonde crouched, getting ready to run and cut. His eyes widened and his train of thought slammed into a screeching halt when he saw what he did._

 _His companions emerged from the smoke. They were all deathly pale and lacked any kind of coloration. Their eyes were all dull and void, all just one color and lacking the pupil or iris. Lifeless white stared into his own shocked eyes as they slowly shuffled towards him. Tifa, Cid, Vincent, and Nanaki approached him from the front as Yuffie, Barret, and Cait Sith surrounded him from behind._

 _He was trapped in a tight circle created by his controlled friends. They hadn't seemed to age a day since fighting Bahamut FURY in Edge, even the clothes were the same save for Yuffie's. What could he do now? He couldn't cut down his friends!_

 _"Ah~! Now this is what I call funny!" Shadow howled, throwing his head back as he cackled delightfully. He even pretended to wipe a tear from his visible eye as he looked back down at the scene._

 _He watched the blonde frantically look from friend to friend, his battle stance wavering and about ready to collapse. The circle tightened as his lovely pawns began to break down the former hero's mental walls. If he was too mentally weak to fight back, this battle would easily claim him as the victor with little to no effort on his own part._

 _"So, Cloud. What. Will. You. Do?" Shadow asked, taking unnecessary pauses as he spoke, still mock sitting against the air._

 _"I... I don't want to fight any of you." The blonde admitted to his Raven friends._

 _"eh, eheh-he-he..." Tifa giggled as her head lolled over to the right as if her neck wasn't supporting it anymore._

 _"They can't he-ar you, Cloud! Why don't you try speaking clearly instead of muttering for once?" Shadow called, cupping his hands over his mouth to project his voice out further down below._

 _The circle around the blonde tightened, making him take a step back and look behind him. How could Shadow have manipulated them? He knew his friends were strong, stronger then they put off sometimes. It just didn't add up. Regardless, it didn't change the fact that they were circling in to carry out the ravenette's order: To finish him._

 _"C'mon! Hurry up and cut 'em down!" Shadow exclaimed as if he was just watching a really intense action movie._

 _The circle was tight now, giving the blonde just enough room to stretch his arm out and point his sword at either of their throats. The thought of fighting them was not appealing and had his stomach churning in protest. They had always been there for him and had never turned their backs on him once. They were good friends that were more like some kind of dysfunctional family. They had their good days and their bad ones too. But they all stuck together. Cloud knew if they were in his situation right now, they would not fight._

 _It was going to be hard to do and his inner self was screaming at him to defend himself. His pride was screaming that this was impossible. His experience said it was too risky. His reason pleaded that it was pointless. But his heart whispered 'Give it a try'._

 _"...I'm not fighting you." Cloud muttered, tossing Fusion sword to the concrete with a loud clatter._

 _This had Shadow sit up from his mock sitting as if he was just sitting up in an actual chair. His perplexed expression was hidden behind narrowed eyes and slanted black eyebrows. The group enclosing around him staggered slightly, pausing in their tracks as confusion took root deep down as their puppeteer was left baffled._

 _"...Fine, then you will die by their hands. Pawns, show no mercy."_

 _That was all they needed. Weapons were drawn and stances were readied. Cloud held his ground and curled his hands into fists tightly, feeling the bite of his nails through the leather of his gloves. Vincent was the first to act, shooting a bullet from Death Penalty right through the blonde's right shoulder. The man grunted and bit his lip to stifle it, trying his best to stand tall. Any second now they should realize he was no threat and they'd snap out of it._

 _Yuffie followed up with a quick slice of her shuriken; Conformer, cutting through the fabric of his sleeve and slicing deep into his left arm. He still held firm. Cid followed in suit, twirling his lance; Venus Gospel, around before striking the blonde on at the base of his neck on the right side, cutting in deep enough to gently knick his sternocleidomastoid muscle. He was biting his lip so hard that a small trail of blood gently oozed out of it and traced down to his chin and dot his clothes._

 _Barret fired off a few rounds from Missing Score, each bullet whizzing right through the blonde's legs. It caused him to stumble, dropping down to where his right knee was kneeled against the ground where his blood was beginning to drip. Why? Why weren't they realizing the he wasn't a threat by not fighting them? As if reading his mind, Shadow spoke up._

 _"What did you expect? Some fairy-tale bullshit where your friends magically snap out of my trace when you say you won't fight them?! You're more naive than I thought! Finish him off my darlings!" He cried, pointing his right index finger at the downed blonde._

 _Cloud scrunched his eyes shut tightly, every fiber of his being telling him to fight while his heart fought against the rest of him._

 _Suddenly, it was silent. There was no shouting, no horrified cries echoing from the distance, no Shadow barking out his orders to his friends. Nothing. He slowly opened his irritated Mako blue eyes and saw he was shrouded in a misty white clearing. There was nothing by wispy white fog swirling across the ground and white no matter which direction the blonde turned. The only thing that wasn't white was the blood beginning to pool around his knelt frame from his injuries._

 _With one blink of his eyes, a figure stood tall before him. Cloud gently lifted up his head, having to do so slowly due to the knicked muscle in his neck causing a persistent amount of pain. Minerva stood before him, garbed in her magnificent armor that appeared to be intimidating to any lesser will. He didn't even think the Goddess actually existed. Yet there she stood._

 _"Where am I?" Cloud asked, not wasting any time as he slowly looked all around him once more, wondering where old Midgar had gone and where he was now._

 _"In a dimension I created inside Gaia. The last time you had been here was when you were visiting with Aerith and Zack, wasn't it?" She asked aloud._

 _The blonde's head shot back to her helmed head as she mentioned the deceased flower girl and his best friend._

 _"I've been watching you, Cloud, since day one. There has always been something inside of you that I cannot ignore, call it an urge, a gut-feeling of sorts. You are destined for great things, greater than you have already performed." She explained, not breaking eye contact with the hunched blonde before her._

 _"What are you getting at?" The blonde pressed._

 _"You are Gaia's Savior. You have stopped tragedy again and again when it seemed like there was no hope. I could not intervene then and you stepped in time after time. You cannot die here, Cloud. The planet needs you now more than ever." She continued._

 _"Hah, there's nothing left I can do for this forsaken place. I cannot stop the shadows or Shadow himself as I am. This time, I am not enough." The blonde said with a dismissive shake of his head._

 _"This is where you are wrong. You can stop Shadow and end this war, with my assistance."_

 _"Why not do it yourself?"_

 _"I may be the creator of this world, but I am only a spiritual entity. I have no true physical form and cannot intervene in Gaia's accursed path."_

 _"Then what the Hell can I do?" Cloud bit, spitting out some fresh blood that entered his mouth from his self-injured lip._

 _"You will become my greatest WEAPON. You will be unlike Emerald and Ruby, you will be special."_

 _"You'll turn me into a monster, you mean? Give me a grotesque form and a stupid gemstone title, won't you?"_

 _"You will not be a monster, you will be humanoid. You will have the astounding powers of a WEAPON, but will still retain your human side."_

 _"Honestly, not to be rude or anything, but is this the best you could do?"_

 _"This is the_ _ **only**_ _solution to save Gaia, to save your friends from this horrible fate." Minerva spoke, gesturing to the white blankness all around them._

 _"..."_

 _"You do not have much time. You can either accept my proposal and save Gaia and your friends, or you can all die a gruesome death and allow Shadow to reign control of what's left of humanity until Gaia crumbles under his tyranny."_

 _"...Fine, but make it fast." Cloud agreed with a grunt as he spat more blood out of his mouth. That metallic taste was driving him insane!_

 _Minerva did not say another word. She reached out her left hand and placed it against Cloud's forehead gently. For some reason, it caused the blonde to close his eyes against the gentle touch the Goddess possessed. A soft golden light swirled around her body, intermingling with the white fog crawling around on the ground. Soon, the whole white landscape was washed a pale gold. The golden light seeped into her armored skin, through her hand and straight into Cloud's forehead._

 _The blonde's eyes snapped open and his mouth hung open deftly, choked 'ahs' barely coming out of the back of his throat as the light felt like thousands of needles stabbing him all over the head. It was like a constant brain freeze that just wouldn't go away._

 _"With my holy power and knowledge, I transfer it over to Gaia's newest and greatest Weapon. He will have the strength of all the other weapons, the intelligence of a thousand scholars, and the courage of a million soldiers that no longer fear death. As your goddess, I command you to heed my orders. Turn this human into a Weapon, so mote it be!" She chanted._

 _All of a sudden, the gold stopped flowing into Cloud's head and there was ear-ringing silence. An explosion of white mingled with diamond, ruby, and emerald fragments dispersed in every direction in a deafening boom. Gold powder sparkled brightly in the bleakness of the white washed dimension._

 _Time froze for a moment, no one moving as the fog even stopped crawling. The mixture of Weapon fragments and gold powder then struck the blonde right in the forehead with a loud howl. His head snapped back as his body leaned backwards from impact in slow motion. The blue in his eyes drained away to the corners of his eyes and dripped away like tears, azure tracks left in its wake. In its place, a bright shimmering gold filled in the original color._

 _His short hair began to grow out, thinning as it got closer to the small of his back. It stopped growing as it reached the back of his knees. His wheat blonde bangs tapered his face nicely as a few wayward spikes still defied gravity as always. The thick hair was smoother than the finest silk and even shimmered with gold like his eyes had done._

 _He felt a gentle rotation in his shoulder blades, it wasn't necessarily the most pleasant feeling in the world, but it wasn't that painful either. He felt something gently fall out of his back that felt like it had been another part of his body falling away. He didn't have to turn around to see the answer: It came to him. A massive wingspan spread all around his body, showing off its white and gold-tipped feathers before gently brushing across the foggy ground below. Moving them was just like moving his arm or leg: Without thought and easy to do._

 _The cuts, scratches, and scars on his body began to mend and vanish is if they never existed in the first place. It left him feeling renewed and invigorated. He felt stronger and smarter than ever, suddenly knowing exactly how to stop Shadow from his reign of terror. Now that he was a Weapon, the White Materia he kept with him glowed from the pocket he kept it in. The orb was accepting him to put it to use. He was now something more revered than the Cetra._

 _"It is done, my beloved Weapon. Now, arise, Alpha Weapon. Rise and take back control of Gaia!" Minerva exclaimed as she threw her hands up._

 _The white became blinding suddenly as Minerva faded away into the blinding aura. Cloud closed his eyes tightly when it was too much for his eyes to handle. Through his eyelids, he saw the light dissipate and fade to black. When it was dark enough, he opened up his eyes and blinked a few times._

 _He was back in old Midgar again, knelt against the ground but without injury. He looked up to find his friends standing there, unmoving and staring at him with wide eyes. They were still colorless and lifeless as ever, but now they were no longer attacking him. He slowly rose to his feet as his long golden hair fell forward from the force of gravity against it. His wings draped the ground below his feet gracefully. The longest feathers looked like the train of a wedding dress as they branched off in either direction. He looked up to the smoky black sky and locked eyes with Shadow._

 _The ravenette's visible eye was bugged out so much he could have sworn it was about to fall right out of his socket. His jaw was hanging open and leaving his mouth agape. Cloud smirked just in seeing that surprised and blank expression on Shadow's face._

 _"h-How is this possible?!" He shrieked, no longer mock sitting against the air but standing up right against it now._

 _"Damned if I knew." Cloud responded cockily as he shrugged with a smirk._

 _"y-y-You little~! Get out of the way my lovelies!" Shadow cried before dashing down from the air._

 _Cloud's companions jumped back to a safe distance as he clapped his hands together. As they separated, an oval shaped shadow started to form in the space between his hands. The oval formed into more of a ball as it started to get bigger and darker. With a loud grunt, he shot out his right hand and hurled the shadow straight at the newly-turned Weapon._

 _Without even thinking, his massive wings sprung up from the ground and shielded his body. The shadow ball split on contact and shot out in every direction as if it struck straight against a force field rather than feathers._

 _"My turn." Cloud responded as his wings slowly unfurled from his frame._

 _He pulled out the White Materia from his pocket and gripped it tightly in his fist. A white light glowed gently from the orb as the blonde focused on the proper spell. When the maximum limit of the condensed lifestream's power had been reached, he jut out his right arm and cast the spell. A brilliant white light shot out of his hand and straight in Shadow's direction. The man easily floated to the left, dodging it with a smirk._

 _"Was that it?" He sneered._

 _"Oh, I'm not done yet." Cloud spoke._

 _With that, multiple beams of white light shot out of the orb and aimed straight at the ravenette like they were holy homing missiles. Shadow was able to avoid a few of the beams as they charged at him, but could not dodge them all. He cried out in pain as he tried to back away from the holy attack eating away at his dark power. Just when the stream appeared to thin out and dissipate, even more beams shot out like a mix of a machine gun and a rocket launcher._

 _Each beam shot straight through Shadow, creating holes in his being for every beam that went through and through. He screamed and writhed in agony as he tried to use his fleeting shadows to eat away at the light. However, the strength and persistence of a newborn Weapon was even stronger than his now feeble shadows. In only a matter of minutes, Shadow disintegrated into the blinding light with a mighty scream before those cries decrescendo'd away._

 _A shock-wave of pure holy energy shot down from the sky and burst into the ground, rolling out like an ocean wave breaking against the shore. The energy wave surrounded Cloud's friends and every other person it could reach within a few miles radius. It only lasted a moment before blissfully fading away and leaving a calm feeling floating in the air._

 _The color returned to Tifa first, then branched out to Vincent, Yuffie, Cid, and kept going until each of his companions were back to their colorful selves. They looked around in a dazed fashion at first, then seemed to remember what had happened before being overtaken by Shadow. Cloud knew he was going to have a lot of questions to answer right as their eyes made contact with his changed appearance and those massive wings of his._

 _Yet six eons later, Alpha Weapon stood and watched Gaia beginning to crumble._

* * *

Cloud awoke with a start as his eyes glanced around the room quickly to observe his surroundings. He was confused as he realized this wasn't his house and this wasn't his bed. However, memory eventually caught up to his sleep fogged brain as he recalled running away from the village and journeying here. He slowly sat up with a little groan and looked around the room. The couch across from the bed and coffee table was vacant, signaling that Bugenhagen was up and about.

He gently looked over his left shoulder and out the window to see the rising sun beginning to make its way up the sky to start the day. He turned his head back around and yawned once. His groggy body felt stiffer than a plank of wood, so with a little bit of discomfort, he stretched his sore muscles. Another yawn drawled out of his mouth lazily as it slipped through the air. While his body felt a bit on the slow side, his mind was certainly refreshed and ready to take on the next task at hand.

But what was that dream about? It had to be something that happened in Alpha's past, that was for sure. But if that was indeed the case, then his dream was just him re-living a memory forever burned in the back of his head. Honestly, it was very strange to dream about the other phases of yourselves' past lives and experiences. Especially when you knew they were memories rather than dreams.

"Ah, good! You've arisen, Ho-ho-ho!" The voice of Bugenhagen spoke up.

Cloud once more glanced over his shoulder just in time to see the elder make his way across the cramped room and towards his bed. He followed the man's movements until he was standing -or floating- right beside him. He gave a small and sleepy smile to the older man.

"G'morning, Bugenhagen. What time is it?" Cloud asked as he tried to hold back yet another yawn.

"In my defense, I'd say it's about time!" The elderly man exclaimed with a bounce in his voice.

"About time? For what?" The blonde questioned as a childish look of confusion swept across his plump face.

"About time that you woke up! You were out of it for three whole days! I thought you might have slipped into a little coma, ho-ho." Bugenhagen responded jovially.

"th-Three days!?" Cloud cried as his voice broke when it went up an octave.

"I figure that those possessions must tire you out so." The elder responded in a matter-of-fact manner.

Cloud knew he was always pretty tired every time he gained control over his body again, but he never thought he'd be tired enough to sleep for three days straight. He really needed to not rely so heavily on those possessions, he needed to gain his own strength and stamina. Having them possess him all the time would serve his own body no good if he couldn't keep up with them in the end.

"I know you have just woken up, but I am still curious you see..." Bugenhagen spoke suddenly, bringing the blonde out of his thoughts and back to reality.

"Bout what? Did Alpha not answer all your questions?" Cloud asked as he cocked his head to the right, the sky blue chocobo feathers in his hair band leaning with.

"Ah, he did, very well in fact. My new questions are for you, young one." The elder responded with a smile pulling at the corners of his lips.

"m-Me?" The blonde peeped, using his right index to point to himself if if the older man had actually been talking about someone else instead.

"Yes, you. Why have you come to Cosmo Canyon? Surely it isn't for sightseeing?" Bugenhagen asked as he sat himself on the empty coffee table a few feet away from the blonde rather than on the couch.

"Nu-uh. Alpha told me to come here first. We're traveling to Midgar." Cloud explained as he pushed the thick blue covers off his body as a hot chill swept over him.

"To Midgar? And you are doing this on your own with only the help of your personas?" The man inquired.

"Yeah!" Cloud agreed with a nod of his head.

"I see. What is the purpose of journeying there?"

"You sure do ask a lot of questions, don'tcha?" The blonde questioned back.

"Indeed I do. There are a lot of things that I know, countless things beyond your wildest dreams! However, you and your personas are an entirely new story for me all together. I have an insatiable thirst for knowledge, practically unquenchable. I want to know everything that I can, simply speaking." Bugenhagen explained.

"So you're a bookworm, huh? That wouldn't seem to get you very far though."

"Knowing is half the battle, Cloud." He said with a serious tone in his voice.

The blonde just stared at the older man after he said that. He tried to read his expression through his dark lensed sunglasses, but couldn't see past the sheen that the light reflected off them. He figured he should keep that quote locked into his head to remember in the future.

"So I ask again, why are you trying to head all the way to Midgar?" Bugenhagen asked once more.

Cloud hummed in thought for a moment, a bit unsure. He didn't think it would be wise to tell the man of the real reason why they were headed there. That'd sound crazy coming out of his mouth. ' _We're traveling to Midgar to baby-sit the almighty general Sephiroth and stop him from going insane and generally ruining Gaia and bringing about its' miserable end'._

"...I wanna join SOLDIER!" The blonde exclaimed with a smile after a moment of thought.

"Well, you've got plenty of help and raw talent by your side. I'm sure they'd overlook your age. However I must warn you..." Bugenhagen began, only to grow serious again.

That tone meant that the blonde needed to put his listening ears on and listen good. Whatever he had to say must be pretty important.

"-If you join that group, you're going to make a lot of enemies out of people you don't even know, and they won't give you a chance for you to show them who you really are. The people of this Canyon are against Shin-Ra and their SOLDIER program. We believe their work is slowly killing Gaia. It is up to you if you want to join and I'm not going to stop you, just know you'll have to be on your toes when that day comes."

Cloud stared hard at the older man, taking in everything he had to say as best as he could. It's true that Shin-ra's programs and way of life would have some people rise against it or shun the idea altogether. His mother had often told him that even commanding officers and military grunts from Shin-Ra were frowned upon in certain parts of the globe. His own village may have a reactor and might work on it from time to time, but that doesn't mean they weren't skeptical when the cadets came down for inspection.

But all in all, this was the best course to go through in order to prevent what happened in his other lives' times. He didn't want to loose loved ones, loose friends. Loosing something dear was always painful in the end, and he'd rather not suffer that again. He lost his father and had to leave his mother, that was loss enough. He'd just have to push through and smile all the way. He was sure his other voices thought the same way, they were him after all.

"I understand, Bugenhagen. But when I do become a SOLDIER and if I ever have to come here, will you hate me?" Cloud asked.

" _When_ you do, eh? Surely aiming high aren't we? However, I know I will not hate you." The older spoke with a grin pulling at the corners of his lips, mustache moving with.

"Good!" Cloud responded with a nod of his head and a smile.

"Cloud, we need to be heading out soon, the sooner we get to Midgar the better." Beta cut in suddenly, startling the child again. It wouldn't be so bad if he wasn't so _loud_.

"Thank you for your hospitatily- Hispot-Hi-... Thanks for letting me stay here, I appreciate it. I need to get going now." The blonde responded, stumbling over the word 'hospitality'. There were just a few words he still had trouble with sometimes.

"Ah, before you go, why don't you stop by the general store? You'll need some supplies for your journey, plus, maybe see the tailor that works there?" Bugenhagen brought up before gesturing to the blonde's dirty pajamas.

"But, I don't have any money, just that twelve Gil." Cloud responded forlornly.

"Do not worry, for temporarily quenching my thirst for new knowledge, you do not need to worry about payment. I'll just write a little note and have you show it to the clerks." The elder responded as he floated up from the coffee table.

"t-Thank you! So much!" Cloud exclaimed, scrambling out of the warm bed to stand on his own for the first time this morning.

"It's no trouble, just let me get a pad and pen." Bugenhagen spoke before floating to the ladder and ascending it instead of descending.

Cloud waited patiently for his return. As he waited, his mind began to wander. If Bugenhagen slept on the couch, then who slept in the bed? Was there someone else living here that the blonde hadn't met yet? Maybe they were away and wouldn't be coming back for awhile? If that was the case, he'd have to find out who it was so he could say hello.

Bugenhagen returned shortly with a piece of paper in his hands. He floated down the ladder and towards the blonde with another smile hiding behind his thick white facial hair. He offered the small sheet of yellow scroll paper out for the child to take. Cloud accepted the paper and read it over to see what it covered.

' _Naoki, please allow this child to take as many supplies as he needs on his journey. He has helped me greatly and I would like to return the favor. Please tell Illiniwek to fashion him some clothing as well. -Bugenhagen'_

"Thank you again!" Cloud exclaimed, not being able to believe that people could actually be this nice. After coming from a secluded backwater village with strict traditional views, it was hard to believe some people actually helped him rather than hurt him.

"It is no trouble. Just remember, you will not encounter people like me. Not everyone will give you shelter or food. It's every man for himself out there, be wise to remember this." Bugenhagen warned.

"Right!" The blonde agreed with a firm head nod.

"One more thing! If you come across a creature named Nanaki, tell him I am waiting for him to come home." The elder spoke, a bit of a sad tone hidden behind his voice.

"Nanaki? Is that why you sleep on the couch and the bed is empty, because this Nanaki is missing?" Cloud asked sincerely.

"Yes, he is my grandson. He was abducted by the Shin-Ra science department sometime ago, yet another reason why our little village does not care much for that company... We can only pray that he was able to escape and hide somewhere." The man said, eyes glancing away to look at the floor instead of the blonde.

"...Don't worry, I'll tell him his grandfather is waiting! If he's still at Shin-Ra, I'll set him free so he can come home! No one should be alone and far away from home!" Cloud spoke with determination.

"You mean like you are?" Bugenhagen brought up with a raised eyebrow.

Cloud's voice caught in his throat as a tiny choked whimper was barely heard over his own soft breathing.

"r-Right. I'll tell him, thank you again." The blonde quickly stated before taking off to the ladder and descending down it as quickly as he could.

He split right to the door and scurried out of the observatory in a hurried fashion. Yes, he supposed he and Nanaki were in the same boat right now. No familiar faces to see, no one to talk to except yourself, unable to go home no matter how tough it gets or how it is going to get. Cloud swallowed thickly before climbing down a rope ladder and into the canyon. The sooner he got those clothes tailored and all his supplies ready to go, he'd be scurrying to the next town as quickly as possible.

He walked down the carved out stairs and through those little tunnels until he ended up near the entrance of the sleepy canyon village. Kinly, the guard from yesterday, was at his post by the entrance keeping an eye out for danger. Or maybe Nanaki even. His bright blue eyes scanned each little house and establishment, searching for the right little wooden cottage. He spotted a sign hanging above one of the buildings near the far end of the village. Wasting no time he power walked towards it, only slowing down to admire the glowing bonfire in the center of town.

He passed by the bar and a Materia store before arriving at the general store's doorstep. He pulled open the front door as a small bell attached to the hinge danced with the movement. A man looked up from behind the counter situated near the back of the establishment. Three vertical rows of potions, ethers, rations, and every little knick-nack you could think of rested on each shelf. Cloud bypassed the rows of goodies and straight up to the counter.

The man had chestnut brown hair with eyes of equal hue to match. He was garbed mostly in brown leathers and hides. The thing that stood out the most for the blonde was a tribal looking bandanna tied around his forehead to push a few locks of hair from his lightly freckle dotted face. He gave the blonde a bit of a skeptical look as he stood right in front of the glass counter.

Without any words, Cloud offered the piece of paper to the older man that looked to be in his late teens. He took up the paper and skimmed through it, his disapproving eyes softening and becoming more welcoming than they were before.

"Ah, so you helped Bugenhagen out. Didn't think an outsider would do that. Go ahead and look around while I fetch Illiniwek from the back." The man that was probably Naoki said before he left the counter and past an arch that lead further back into the store.

Cloud pulled away from the counter and scanned the shelves. He had never done this sort of thing before and wondered what all he should be getting.

"I'd get rations and water mostly." Gamma spoke up for the first time since last night.

The way he gently spoke was a whole lot easier to handle than when Beta spoke up. At least this voice didn't startle him so bad and was a lot easier to take in without so much of a shock as the others. It was still surprising every time though.

"Just that stuff?" Cloud asked the voice as he eyed a few granola bars.

"Mostly, I'd say get something to carry it all in first. After that I'd say to get a few potions and ethers. They'll really help you restore some energy after a prolonged possession."

"Okay. You're pretty resourceful." The blonde said as he spotted a messenger bag hanging on a rack near the front of the store.

"It's mostly my cadet training that taught me how to survive on next to nothing." Gamma honestly replied, not really taking the compliment given to him. He was the most modest persona at that.

Cloud was able to gather a good handful of rations like canned goods, protein and granola bars and water. Not to mention a small tent, a crank-light instead of a standard flashlight -because batteries die after awhile-, a small hunting knife, and the mentioned potions and ethers. Gamma stated the other stuff was necessary because there would be some nights when they might not have a roof over their heads.

By the time Cloud gathered all of the necessities, Naoki returned to the front of the store with a girl that looked identical to him follow him out. The blonde guessed they might be twins. She had her hair pulled into a loose braid and slung over her right shoulder that ended just below her collarbone. She had the same hair and eye color as him and even the same facial features. She was clothed in a brown dress rather than a simple shirt and pants like her twin.

"Is this him?" Illiniwek asked with a soft smile.

"Yup, think you can whip something up real quick?" Naoki inquired as he resumed his former position behind the glass counter.

"Of course! Just give me a few hours!" She responded jovially, making a peace sign with her fingers.

She gently swayed her way over to the blonde as she walked, a smile still present on her face. She stopped right before him and continued to smile and grin at him.

"So, Bugenhagen wants me to tailor you a new outfit, huh? Come on to the back with me, we'll take your measurements there." The brunette spoke, beginning to walk away while she used her right hand to motion him to follow.

Cloud followed behind swiftly, taking the things he picked out with him and stuffing them into the brown messenger bag. This room was relatively small. There were a few boxes scattered here and there, a full-body mirror and a small table with a sewing machine placed on it. A few scattered sewing supplied lay around the machine, such as metal pins, a measuring tape, and plenty of thread nearly worn down to the spool. A chair sat in front of the table and there was a little cubby shelf full of cloths and fabrics of different kinds and colors.

"Stand here for me. By the way, My name's Illiniwek, but you can call me Illi for short. What's you name?" The brunette asked as she grabbed the measuring tape from her little desk.

"My name's Cloud." The blonde responded as he stood where he was told.

"My, that's a pretty name! Almost sounds just like a name here in Cosmo we have, you sure you aren't from here?" Illi teased.

"Mm, yeah." The eleven year old responded with a faint blush creeping across his pale face.

"So you're doing some traveling, right? Hold out your arms." The brunette asked.

"Yeah, goin'-" _To Midgar_. But Cloud didn't finish his sentence, feeling anxious about what she would do if he told her he was going to Midgar. Bugenhagen did said that this village didn't like that city very much. He did hold out his arms like he was told to do though.

"Goin'? Goin' where?" Illi asked with a giggle as she measured the length of the blonde's arms from his shoulder to the tips of his middle fingers.

"-On a journey." He decided to say.

"Just a journey? Going to do some soul searching?" She asked jokingly as she measured his legs next as he stood still.

"I guess so, it depends what that means." The blonde responded as she finished that up quickly.

"It means you're in search of answers about yourself that you just can't seem to grasp. A journey of discovering who you and and what your calling is." Illi explained as she wrapped the tape around his waist.

"Yeah, that's what I'm doin'!" Cloud agreed with a smile. That sounded like a perfect definition of what he was doing, well, kind of.

"At such a young age? How old are you anyways?" Illiniwek asked curiously as she measured his shoulders next.

"I'm eleven. My birthday was two days ago." The blonde responded as the brunette lastly measured his foot size so she could fashion some quick shoes for him.

"Eleven! Goodness! Does your mother know you're out so far from home?" Illi teased as she finished her measurements and carefully wrote down the right numbers on a spare piece of paper.

"...Yes, she does." The blonde responded softly, looking down at the ground as his right arm grabbed a hold of his left.

Illiniwek didn't seem to notice his change in disposition, either that or she just pretended she didn't notice to keep the mood lighthearted as possible. Once she had the measurements written down, she went over to her cubby storage and looked through all of the fabrics she had to work with. She'd pick something up, take an analytical look at the blonde, shake her head and put the fabric back. This lasted for a few minutes until she came up with a good layout and composition in her head.

With that, she got right to work, blending deep blues with deep browns to make a quick masterpiece. Cloud found himself a seat on an unopened box stuffed full of canned pineapples and waited for the work to be finished patiently. It certainly did take awhile, but it was very fun watching Illi work her seamstress magic on the fabric, making it into something amazing that the blonde would be able to wear. It lasted for about an hour, maybe two tops, before she turned off her sewing machine and snipped off the last bit of loose blue thread.

"It's done! I gave it a bit of Cosmo kick, hope you like it!" Illiniwek exclaimed as she held up the finished product.

It did have a nice tribal vibe to it. It was a deep blue, like the color of the ocean. It had short tasseled sleeves and it was a v-neck. The shirt was long, it looked like it would travel down to the middle of the blonde' backside with ease. The ends of the shirt were tasseled just like the sleeves. There was some brown embroidered type sewing across the chest looking like wolves dancing around a bonfire. There were tan shorts that complemented the outfit. The shoes were a quick job but well done in the end. Those were just some plain leather brown moccasins.

"I do like it, thank you Illi!" Cloud thanked with a big grin as he took the clothes that were offered to him.

"I'll let you change into them back here." She responded before making her way out of the small room and back into the store.

The blonde figured he shouldn't dilly-dally any longer, lest Beta pop in unexpectedly and chide him for not leaving any sooner. It was very easy to change clothes and when he was done he placed his dirtier set in the back with all his other things. The bag was quite full and the covering the tent came in was poking out past the flap, but as long as it held everything, he wasn't going to complain.

He left the small room in the back, enjoying how breezy the clothes were and how easy it was to move in them. Plus, the blue of the long tasseled shirt matched the blue chocobo feathers that helped hold his thick hair back.

"You look good in Cosmo clothes, Cloud!" Illiniwek complimented with a big grin as she stood beside her twin brother behind the counter.

"Mm, thank you." The blonde responded as that blush gently flushed across his face.

"Good luck, kid." Naoki spoke as he nodded his head softly, a small grin tugging at his lips.

"Once you're done soul searching, come back and visit, okay?" Illi asked as Cloud began to walk towards the door of the store.

"I will!" The blonde responded as he reached the front door. He gripped the handle in his hand and twisted the door open.

He made his way through the village as late morning shone through the steep canyon walls, illuminating them in a fiery mirage that looked completely breathtaking. The bonfire in the center was still lit and it soothed the blonde in some way. Just watching the flames dance and sway in a gentle wind was so relaxing that he could just watch it for hours. He broke his stare from the flame as he approached the entrance of the village that would now be his exit.

"So, where to next?" Cloud asked any of the voices as he made his way down the steps of the cliff.

"...Gongaga." Alpha chimed.

* * *

A/N: Aahhhh finally finished! :D This chapter took me _forever_ to crank out! But I hope you guys liked it! Drop me a line so I know what you guys thought of it!

Also, I am in the search of a beta reader for this fic of mine. I have received some advice that this story could really reach its full potential if I were to get some help when it comes to my plot consistency. My plot _seems_ solid, but I know I've got a good number of holes and gaps that need fixing up so I don't repeat them again. Let me know if any of you can help! It would be much appreciated, but until then I'll soldier on and try to pump out the best chappies that I can!

Until the next chapter everyone!  
~Zimithrus1


	5. On Your Own

Hello everyone! I am very sorry about the wait, life got very hectic all of a sudden for me. I got a ton of hours at work and that has just been eating up all my time as of late. But some good news, I have found a beta for my story! Ocena Strex has kindly taken up that role and will be helping me out! Well, with that said and done, here's chappie five for all of you! :)

* * *

~5: On Your Own~

Cloud was extremely grateful for the moccasins that covered his feet. Now he could step over those sharp bits of the canyon with ease. Out of spite from the loose fragments of stone earlier, he kicked a few pebbles and watched them smash into the canyon walls with a loud clatter. A large grin consumed his face at the satisfying reverberation that echoed through the tall gorge. Even though It was early afternoon, the hot summer sun beamed down relentlessly on the child.

It was the kind of heat that had you seeing water mirages on the ground in the distance. Even the air and breeze was tainted by heat. The breeze was not cool in the slightest as the air itself seemed sticky and heavy, like the child was trying to breath in pancake syrup. He hadn't been walking for very long and hadn't even gotten very far, but his clothes were already starting to cling to his body.

He readjusted the strap of his messenger bag as he looked down at the brown satchel. He did bring along plenty of water bottles and rations of the sort. He was already hot and thirsty, so the other voices shouldn't mind if he had a couple of sips? As he unbuckled the straps of the bag, Alpha's voice cut in.

"Do not touch anything." He spoke, startling the child and causing him to jump slightly as if he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Mm, but I'm really thirsty." Cloud whined, his right hand hovering over one of the smaller bottles of water. Honestly, what would a few sips do in the end?

"I am aware. However, if you start drinking now you will most likely not stop. Then eventually you will dry out your last reserves. This is the last thing we need right now. Treat every ration sparingly, you do not know how long you will be traveling without the proper food or shelter."

"Stingy..." The blonde child huffed, closing the flap of the bag and readjusting it once more just out of pure annoyance.

He continued to trudge through the twisting canyon valley with his arms crossed over his chest and furrowed brows. He got Alpha's point, but he couldn't even have a little bit of water? As if sensing his distress, and bad mood, Gamma softly spoke up.

"Something the matter?"

"Alpha's being stingy and won't let me have a drink of water..." The child responded with a crestfallen pout.

"Go ahead and have a sip, don't let everything Alpha says get to you."

"But he said it was bad."

"Maybe, if you drink all of it at once. The best way to preserve water is to store it in your body, so taking in some will be better for you in the long run." Gamma explained with ease.

"Oh! Awesome!" Cloud exclaimed with a bright smile.

He stopped walking just long enough to unlatch his bag and pull out a small bottle of water. He unscrewed the cap and touched the rim of the plastic bottle to his lips. He allowed himself a few strong gulps of the refreshing liquid before remembering to pull away before he downed too much. Feeling satisfied, he screwed the cap back on and stuffed the bottle back into his back. From there, he continued on through the canyon.

He kicked pebbles when he could to boost his mood and to stay amused so he would not fall prey to boredom. He may have three older personas in his head, but he still had his own mind and was still just a child in the end. When kicking stones was no longer amusing, he decided to speak up and ask a couple of questions.

"How far away is Gongaga from here?" He asked aloud as he hopped over a small crack in the ground below him. The sky blue chocobo feathers in his leather hair band swayed with the leap.

"Eighty-four miles out." Alpha spoke up.

"Eighty-four?!" Cloud squawked as he stopped in his tracks.

"Yes. We will not make it there by nightfall."

Cloud let out a drawled moan of protest and annoyance. He hung his head down and slouched his shoulders, not looking forward to walking that far. He began to drag his feet as he walked with slumped posture. Getting to Midgar was going to take forever if making it to Gongaga was going to take over a darn day! He probably wouldn't make it until he was old and gray with a mustache like Bugenhagen's!

Cloud was brought out of his musings when his azure blue eyes spotted some strange monsters devouring the carcass of another monster. The three things looked a lot like roosters, and the carcass looked like the remains of a griffin, similar to the one that Beta described. When one of the green rooster-like monsters let out a squawk and glanced up from its meal, the blonde froze in his tracks. He even stopped breathing, thinking even that would get him spotted.

"What are those things?" The blonde barely whispered, hoping that one of the voices could answer him quickly.

"Skeeskees. Annoying things, really." Beta chimed in with his usual boisterous tone.

"What do I do?" He uttered as his eyes refused to break away from the distracted roosters.

"Sneak past them. They're too busy eating to notice you, just be silent and swift." The middle voice instructed.

"No possession?" The blonde asked in a dumbstruck fashion. Usually the middle persona wouldn't hesitate to take over to eliminate some feeble monsters.

"There is no point in picking a fight with them right now. I only possessed you last time because that griffin caught on to you. These bird-for-brains are too absorbed in their rotting meat."

"Okay."

Cloud slowly began to move, putting one foot in front of the other as his eyes never strayed away from those monsters eating their catch of the day. Every time one of them looked up, the blonde would freeze and hold his breath. He would not move again until they all went back to eating that nasty smelling monster carcass. As soon as he was out of sight and earshot, he released a deep breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

He adjusted the strap of his bag and continued on, a bit more shaky that he was before. If he hadn't have broken out of his thoughts when he did, those Skeeskees would have totally caught onto him and gobbled him up! He knew he had to start being a bit more careful from here on out. Who knows what other scary looking things would show up out of the blue?

Early afternoon slowly sank into mid-afternoon. The sun had moved from its' spot right above the blonde's head to more of a western position in the ever blue sky. The heat wasn't as intense now, but the humidity was another story all together. The air had gotten stickier, if that was at all possible. He slowly stopped and glanced behind him, groaning slightly when he realized he hadn't walked very far. He could still see Cosmo high up on the tallest plateau. However, this meant he had made it closer to natural ground level. There must not be too much canyon left to trek through!

Cloud moved the heavy bag from his right shoulder and to his left to evenly spread out the weight hanging off him and give his other shoulder time to loosen back up. His skin was now glistening in the afternoon sunlight due to the accumulating sweat the heat brought about. His clothes further stuck to his body as he had to readjust his shirt many times to get it un-stuck and fan some slightly cooler air on his face. He really hated summer, especially in this rocky canyon where the cliffs just absorbed all the heat and made it feel like he was frying in a skillet.

Even though his thick hair was pulled back, it didn't do much to cool him down. Even being in shorts and a short sleeved tasseled shirt didn't do him any good. Why, oh why, did summer have to be so darn hot? Cloud moaned in discomfort as his mouth gaped open to try and catch more air. It was just as sticky and heavy as before and the dryness of it made him cough and regret breathing through his mouth.

"Man, it's too hot! I'm gonna start panting like a puppy dog soon, I know it!" He whined.

The word 'puppy' caused a brief vision to flash before Cloud's eyes and against the canyon walls. A man with black hair, blue eyes, an eager smile and a scar in the shape of an 'x'. It seemed so real and so vivid that the blonde stopped walking and stared at the space where the vision came and went.

"What was that?" Cloud asked himself as his eyes did not break away from the gorge walls.

"A memory." Alpha responded smoothly, sounding so clear and fluid it was almost like he had spoke from right beside the blonde rather than from inside his head.

"A memory? Wait a minute, how do you know what I saw?" The child mimicked before his curiosity took over.

"Visions are tricks played by the mind that extend to our sights, making us see things that are not there. Therefore, I can see your visions since I am inside your mind."

"Then that vision was just a vision and not really a memory?" Cloud asked, becoming confused.

"It was most certainly a memory. It was one of mine and I am sure the other personas had the same one."

"Who was he?"

Alpha did not respond. He fell oddly silent and refused to speak up again. Cloud may be a bit aloof when it came to affairs of the heart, but he wasn't oblivious. He knew Alpha fell quiet because something about his vision upset the elder voice. He tried to search through the memories he shared with his other personas, but was drawing a complete blank for some reason. It felt almost like he was being blocked from viewing the memories.

"...It is best that you do not look, at least for the time being. Move along, we are burning daylight." Alpha responded before falling completely silent once more.

Cloud made a small hum of concern, but trudged through the remainder of the gorge as he was instructed to do. The summer sun sunk further to the west in the sky, slowly beginning to sink towards the horizon line as mid-afternoon shifted to late afternoon.

The faintest traces of lighter blue could be seen developing near the horizon, and soon yellow would follow the coming sunset. The heat refused to let up even though the sun was about to call it quits for the day. Figuring he had walked plenty and far enough, he unlatched the flap of his bag and brought out the smallest water bottle he possessed, containing only six ounces of water.

When he didn't hear any voice speak up, a smile graced the corners of his lips as he unscrewed the cap from the bottle. He brought the plastic container to his lips and eagerly began to drink. The refreshing liquid soothed his throat and brought much needed moisture to his drying mouth. Remembering Alpha's earlier words of treating his rations like they were his last, he pulled his greedy lips away from the bottle, leaving a quarter of the water left, despite how badly he wanted to finish it off.

He put the bottle back into the bag, readjusted the strap to even out the weight, then walked onward. His feet were really starting to hurt and ache by this point. He winced with each step he took and often found himself looking behind him to see if he had further distanced himself from Cosmo or not. He was slightly relieved to know the village was only a silhouette against the lightening sky. He wanted to take a break desperately, but knew he should probably cover a bit more ground.

So he trudged on, his movements becoming more sluggish with his growing fatigue. Once he made it out of these canyons, he was going to take a much needed break to rest his feet. Wanting to hurry up and relax, he began to jog instead of walk. Not only would it cut down travel time, it would let him get to a resting point faster. He wasn't going to deny the fact that his feet felt so sore it was like pins and needles were stabbing into the soles of his feet, even through the moccasins.

He could only keep up his jog for five minutes before panting and struggling to catch his breath. His legs were beginning to shake as well as his arms. To add on to his discomfort, his stomach growled without mercy and demanded to be fed. He whined and groaned as he sluggishly advanced through these stupid canyons. Afternoon transitioned into evening. Yellow and orange took the place of where blue had once resided as the sun was gently brushing across the horizon line.

Cloud let out a disgruntled cry when he realized it was evening and he hadn't even broken out of this stupid gorge yet! He stamped his feet and threw a little tantrum, wanting nothing more than to just sit down, rest, eat, and maybe have a small bout of pouting. He was still just a child after all. He wasn't used to fending for himself, being alone, and certainly wasn't used to acting like an adult at such a young age.

He was so frustrated that tears billowed in the furthest corners of his eyes. He brought his hands up to his face to wipe them away as he sniffed harshly. When becoming overwhelmed or feeling particularly stressed, the blonde had a habit of crying along with his agitation. He shook his head, flinging the moisture right out of his eyes. Now was not the time to start having a fit or crying, he had a goal to meet tonight before complete sundown.

He began to power walk, just wanting to break out and see something else besides cliffs, cliffs, and more cliffs. He had a small scowl on his face as he swiftly moved through the jagged valley. The sooner he got out of there the better! A few crows cawed from above in the sky, as if to further signal that the day was leaving and that night was soon coming out to play. As if the blonde needed any more reminders.

It wasn't until mid-evening when he finally made it out of the canyons and was greeted with green fields, and another problem. About a mile out in the distance lay a wide river jutting through the lush land. From the sounds of the racing liquid, it was a fast moving current too. Cloud couldn't resist a scream to the open sky as more and more obstacles just seemed to get in his way and further hinder his journey.

"Cloud, if I may?" Gamma gently cut through in a soft manner as to not startle the child.

"Mm?" The blonde responded gently, toning down his frustrations to the youngest of the three voices in his head.

"You should follow the river downstream, you'll meet with the ocean that way." he directed.

"Why there?" Cloud asked, wondering why it was so important to further himself from his destination.

"There will be less monsters down there with better terrain to set up camp for the night and you will be able to eat in peace." Gamma explained, using his vast survival knowledge to aid the child.

"Okay!' Cloud exclaimed, beginning to jog downstream in a diagonal fashion. This way he could get closer to the river and where it met at the ocean much faster than just going straight down and to the left.

Just knowing he was about to be able to eat and rest for the remainder of the night was enough incentive to get his muscles working overtime. With this, he was able to jog faster even through the aches in his feet and the stiffness in his calves. Crickets began to chirp from their homes nestled deep within the thick blades of grass below the blonde's feet. A few fireflies lit up the ever darkening evening. Thankfully the sun was still gracing the sky with its' diminishing presence. It would be tough to set up camp in the dark.

After a good ten minutes of jogging and another six of a mix of walking and power walking, he finally arrived at the junction between the river and the ocean. The rushing water and the lapping waves were tranquil and would provide a soothing sound to sleep to tonight.

"Set up your tent close to the beach, but not entirely on the sand." Gamma instructed soft and smoothly.

"Mm, but why not on the sand?" The blonde asked as he removed his messenger bag from his shoulder and set it against the patch of grass he was standing in.

"Sand is unstable and wouldn't provide a sturdy foundation to set your tent up on. Plus, there's a chance that high tide could come in and sweep you out to sea." The young and wispy voice explained.

"Ah, okay!" Cloud responded, understanding completely now.

He fished out his tent and took it right out of the case it was wrapped up in. Some instructions fell out along with and gently landed in the grass next to his feet. He knew he'd have to read those so he could figure out how to set the thing up. He placed the tent and its accessories it came with on to the ground as he took up the paper and skimmed through it. He figured if he didn't understand how it went, Gamma could help him.

In the end, Gamma had to help him with every single step even after he read over that stupid manual three times! It was a bit of a rush job and a bit of sloppy assemblage on Cloud's part, but it held up and provided shelter, so that's all that really mattered to him. What was neat about his little blue and brown tent is that it came with a sheet he could use to snuggle under and a mesh in the inside at the top to hold his things. He was just about to head inside and relax until Gamma spoke up.

"Make a fire first." he instructed.

"A fire? How the heck am I gonna do that?" Cloud complained as he zipped the front flap of the tent back up with a little grunt.

"I'd recommend summoning Phoenix."

"But she's a summon! She'll make me really tired! 'Sides, why do I have to make a fire anyways, I'm not cold!" The blonde whined, not wanting to loose any more strength than he had to before making it to Gongaga.

"You don't have to use her to fight or destroy things, you can also use certain summons for elemental chores, Phoenix is one of those few. And to answer your question, it will keep you warm when the sun completely sinks and it becomes colder. It will also provide natural light and keep small monsters away."

"Elemental chores? I've never heard of that before. I thought summons were just for fighting, not helping."

"Not all the time. Summons don't have to be used just for fighting. It's a common misconception since that's all they're ever used for."

"How do you know all this stuff?" Cloud asked as he found the small red orb that housed the fire summon.

"Materia class in my cadet training. It was probably the only class I really excelled at." Gamma explained.

"Have you ever used a summon like this before too, Gamma?" The blonde asked as the red ball glowed softly in his right hand.

"Once. I summoned Leviathan in a situation where a fire broke out in the building. Thankfully I had happened to stumble across the Materia on a field mission."

"You stumbled upon it?" Cloud smirked, feeling like that wasn't the entire truth.

"Alright, not really. I was on a field mission with a Second class. He was the one who found it and gave it to me for safekeeping while we were on the mission. It was late when we got back and I forgot to give it back." The youngest voice admitted softly as if he was embarrassed.

"And you _didn't_ get in trouble?" The blonde pressed with slightly wide eyes as the orb in his hand shined brightly before Phoenix materialized out of the orb and on the ground in front of him, twittering happily at the sight of her wielder. She was still just about as big as he was like the first time he had summoned her.

"Nope, we were friends, so he just shrugged it off and said it was good I forgot to give it back, otherwise the science department would have been toast." Gamma spoke with a slight laugh following his explanation.

"Wait, how am I supposed to make a fire if there's nothing to set on fire?" Cloud brought up.

Phoenix then chirped in a chipper fashion and took flight, soaring into the air and past the river to the other side. The blonde watched her fly away, having a feeling she was going to bring back the solution to his problem. It only took three minutes before the blonde could see her fiery form cutting through the air with ease. She looked so majestic and powerful in flight it was as if she could set the breeze ablaze.

She fluttered back to Cloud's side with a good bushel of sticks in her beak. She lowered her head and set the branches down against the ground before raising it back up and twittering exuberantly. The blonde smiled at her, wanting to reach out and pet her. He knew better though, since her feathers were made of fire themselves. Instead, he arranged the sticks and branches in a circular fashion. Gamma had to cut in and direct him how to properly set it up so he wouldn't catch the grass on fire.

When the task was complete, Phoenix stretched her right wing out and allowed her fiery feathers to catch the wood ablaze in a bright yellow fire. It glowed softly and provided some warmth and light just in time as the sun fully sunk as early night settled over the encroaching dusk. The majestic bird chirped happily one last time before bursting into flames and returning back to the Materia she was enclosed in.

Cloud was surprised to find that he did not feel drained in the slightest when she returned to her orb form. Fighting and performing small tasks must differ in terms of energy expense. Now that his tent and fire were set up, he could finally head inside his tent to eat and relax! He grabbed his messenger bag from the ground and sunk down to his knees as he gripped the metal zipper in his right hand. With an arcing motion to the left, the flap unfurled and allowed him access inside. He crawled in and zipped the flap back up.

On the flap of the tent door lay another zipper. Cloud reached up and unzipped that one. This let half of the tent flap fall inside while a small mesh-like screen allowed ventilation and a view of his small campsite. The sheet that accompanied the camping equipment was sealed inside a small casing hiding in the mesh net above his head. He reached up and yanked it down, attempting to get as comfy as possible before he started eating.

He broke open the seal of the see through bag and pulled the sheet out. Along with the sheet was a small brown pillow stuffed with puffy feathers. The blonde smiled at this discovery and set the pillow down on the left side of the tent, laying the blue sheet down next. Once he was finally all set up, he grabbed his bag and unlatched the flap. He pulled out a granola bar, a small package of trail mix, and one of his water bottles.

His stomach growled louder, as if reminding him to hurry up and get to chewing. Cloud gave in with ease as he tore open the wrapper to his granola bar and chowed down, savoring the taste of the chocolate chips inside the chewy bar. He popped the cap to his unopened bottle of water and sipped at that, enjoying the cool water washing down his food. When he finished off his granola bar, he moved onto the trail mix. Each handful was different, some with more of a salty kick and some with more sweets.

He finished up his food and drank half of the water in his bottle, saving the rest for when he really needed it. Now that he was nice and full and relaxed for the night, his brain decided to tell his body to shut down and allow him to sleep. With a stifled yawn, Cloud pulled up the sheet and all but threw himself against the feathered pillow. He tucked the sheet around his body and exhaled heavily. The crackling of the fire and the waves of the ocean were soothing and tranquil and further eased his exhausted body. A smile spread across his face as he sighed and closed his eyes.

He wasn't doing too bad for his first night by himself. All by himself.

Alone.

His smile slowly started to fade away and he opened his eyes once more. He stared at the mesh net above his head as he suddenly remembered he was on his own with nothing more than a tent over his head and snack foods in his belly. There was no one around except for himself and the voices in his head. As helpful as his voices were, they just weren't enough to stave off his loneliness.

His mother flashed before his eyes. She was smiling gently, her blue eyes that mirrored his own barely twinkling in front of him. Her smile looked comforting and compassionate. Her transparent figure held out her arms in front of him.

'You must be so tired, baby. Don't worry, Momma's gonna tuck you in nice and tight tonight!' He heard her say.

Cloud found himself reach up to touch her, to see if she was really there. As soon as his hands brushed against her own, she was gone. Suddenly, he was alone again. His voice caught in his throat as his arms still lingered in the air, fingers unconsciously groping the empty air where the vision of his mother had been. He pulled back his shaky hands as thick tears began to billow in his eyes. Two choked sobs escaped passed his barely parted lips. That was all it took before he burst into tears.

 _"Mommy!_ " He cried, crying into the flimsy sheet that covered his body.

He was really alone now and he knew he could not go back either. His body racked with his harsh sobs as his cries would only be interrupted long enough for a hiccup before they would resume again. Eventually he just started screaming as he cried, endless amounts of tears streaking down his cheeks as extra mucus built up in his nose, making his sniffing thick and snotty.

Right now, there was nothing more he wanted then to be scooped up into his mother's loving arms and have her hold him. He always thought he was old and big enough that he didn't need his mom or her hugs anymore. He thought he was independent and tough. This situation only proved to him how wrong he really was. It proved that in the end, he was still only a child that cried out for his mother at the end of the day.

"Cloud? What's wrong?" Gamma asked suddenly, not carefully treading ground like he usually would before speaking to the child.

"I want m-my momma! I wanna go home! I wanna go home, please!" He gasped through the breaks in his screaming and crying.

"Listen to me, there's no place for you back there anymore. Your mother may still be there, but so will all the people that want you dead. You can't go back." The youngest voice explained.

"I wanna go home, where momma is! Wanna go home, I-I...Home-! Momma!" Cloud sobbed, barely able to form coherent sentences through his wailing.

"Cloud, if you go back now, everything your mother did to get you out of there will be in vain. Do you want her to be disappointed in you?" Gamma challenged, changing up his approach to the current situation.

Cloud immediately stopped screaming when those words reached his ears. The tears still fell from his eyes, but his crying and wailing died down to silence. He clutched the flimsy cotton sheet in his fists tightly, turning his knuckles white from the iron-tight grip.

"You know I went through what you're going through now." The wispy voice sympathized.

"You did?" Cloud sobbed out.

"When I left to join SOLDIER when I was fourteen, I didn't even get to tell my mother good-bye, much like yourself. Through all the car and ferry rides, every night for the first four days of my journey I cried. I missed her as much as you miss her now. I may have put on a mask of indifference back then, but I truly did care. I know how you feel, and I can tell you from personal experience that your pain will not last forever. You will heal, move on, and no longer cry."

"I will?"

"Yes. Right now you just need to focus on surviving out here. If you die on your way to Midgar, you never will see your mother again for sure. Stay strong and soldier on. You'll make it, and we'll be here for you in any way we can." Gamma said with a slight lilt to his voice. If he had a body, he'd probably be smiling softly right now.

"Okay, if you say so..." Cloud responded, wiping away the tracks of his tears.

He still missed his mother greatly, but he knew that crying for her wouldn't make her be able to fly across Cosmo Canyon just to hug him or hold him. Even if he was still just a child, he had to grow up now and learn how to be stronger. There were still many things he had to do, he couldn't just abandon them now that he was already on his way.

"Gamma?" The blonde quietly spoke with a shaky voice.

"Yes, Cloud?"

"I like you better than Alpha and Beta." He admitted with a soft smile.

"Just don't let them hear you say that." Gamma joked with a soft laugh following suit.

* * *

Cloud was up and taking his tent down just as the sun began to rise into the brightening indigo sky. A drawled yawn crawled out of his mouth as he rubbed his right eye with his right hand. Sleeping on the hard ground in nothing more than a tent was quite uncomfortable. Even if he was able to get some sleep, he kept waking up to turn over and get comfortable all over again. All in all, he only got a measly six hours of broken sleep last night.

Taking the tent down was much easier than putting it up, for he was able to take down the blue and brown contraption with a fair amount of ease. When it came to putting it back in its casing, that was a bit more challenging. In the end, it was lumpy and was barely able to fit inside the material case. He stuffed it into his messenger bag and hoisted it on to his right shoulder, being sure to snuff the last traces of flame out on his bonfire.

A few robins fluttered by, chirping and brightening up the morning with their melodic twittering that sounded more like singing. Cloud watched them circle through the air with a soft smile on his face before he decided it was time to get moving. That's when he remembered that there was a giant friggen' river in his way. He slapped the palm of his right hand to his forehead and groaned wearily. He should have found a way to cross it before he set up camp for the night. But then again, he was never good at thinking things through to that degree.

"I believe you require some of my assistance once more?" Alpha spoke up quietly.

"Uh-huh." Cloud drawled out with a roll of his sky blue eyes.

"Do not worry, I will make my possession hasty." The eldest voice promised.

With that, the blonde embraced the suffocating water wave that was the Weapon taking over his body. Frankly, he was too tired already from terrible sleep to really fight it off. This allowed Alpha to fully take control of the eleven-year old's body much faster than usual. Blue eyes transitioned in bright gold as his white and gold tipped wings slowly unfurled from his shoulder-blades. The feathers shuddered when a small breeze tinted slightly with fresh morning dew gently blew past.

With a high jump into the sky his wings burst into the air and allowed him to hover high in the sky for a moment. He pondered momentarily while in the air. He could easily fly over the river and have the child walk the rest of the way to Gongaga, but that would severely cut into the limited time they had to make it to Midgar. It took the child all day just to make it out of Cosmo Canyon, how long would it take him to walk another sixty-two miles out?

If he flew there, he could cut travel time down by an extra day. It would probably take the child the rest of the day and into the middle of the night to make it to Gongaga, if not longer. While if he were to just fly in that general direction, he'd be able to make it to the jungle outside the village in fifteen minutes if he pushed maximum speed. But would he want to do that? It would sap quite a good amount of energy from the child. If memory served him correctly, he stopped by the general store back in Cosmo. He probably picked up some potions and ethers with Gamma's guidance.

His cadet self was very resourceful and probably told the child to pack those along with him. With Minerva's barriers intact, he couldn't say exactly for sure that's what the youngest persona did. Alpha was not one for chance, but a feeling in his gut told him if he pushed his maximum speed, the child would be fine somehow.

Nodding once, he flapped his wings and took off further to the east and soared over the river with ease. The ground below him resembled a large green blur as he flew by quickly. The wind played with his hair and brushed across his face like a tender caress. Flying always felt so liberating, but he knew he could not do it often, especially when it came to populated areas. He didn't even fly in Nibelheim and look how that turned out. Although he had seen worse reactions, surprisingly enough.

When most of the population in his era began to die off, he had been able to fly more freely. Yet it still did not make up for the loss of his friends and loved ones. The green blur below him began to get darker and richer in hue. He knew he was very close to the Gongagan jungles. He slowed down in mid flight and began to descend back to the ground. He flapped his wings a little faster to ease himself to the soft grass below in a gentle fashion rather than a crash landing.

His calculations were correct, it had only taken him a minor fifteen minutes to make it to the edges of the Gongaga jungle. Now that his task was complete, he allowed the child control over his body once more. Cloud returned dazed and winded with a minor headache gnawing in his temples. He groaned softly and used the knuckles of his index fingers to roughly rub the sensitive skin. He knew Alpha took over longer than he was supposed to.

"Alpha, I thought we were just going to cross the river?" He inquired with a moan as he pulled his knuckles away from his head.

"I decided that if I were to fly straight to the Gongagan jungles it would greatly cut travel time down by twenty-four to forty-eight hours." The elder voice explained.

"You know that makes me sleepy..." Cloud mumbled as his rubbed his eyes with the heels of his palms.

"You possess ethers, do you not?"

"Well, yeah, I do. How'd you know?" The blonde asked as he opened the flap of his brown bag.

"Intuition." Alpha simply responded.

Cloud rummaged through his bag, pushing away bottles of water and packages of granola bars before finding a small vial at the very bottom of the bag. He pulled it out and held it in his right hand. It was a small vial, no bigger than a mechanical pencil and was half full of bright cinnamon red colored liquid. He popped open the top of the glass container and sniffed it cautiously. He scrunched his face up with a putrid smell assaulted his sense of smell. It was like sticking your face in a garbage can, only to stick it into a freezer full of spoiled goods.

 _"Eww~!"_ Cloud retched, holding the vial at arms length as he made a disgusted face at it.

"Drink it or risk losing consciousness in the middle of a jungle." Beta spoke up in a baritone voice.

"But it's _Icky!"_ The blonde protested childishly as if it was the most disgusting medicine in the world.

"Drink it or I will take over and make you drink it." The middle voice demanded.

"...You're being mean today, Beta!" Cloud whined, looking back to the icky vial of red liquid.

"Do you want to fall asleep and be eaten by the monsters that live here?"

"...No" The blonde muttered as he brought the vial to his lips.

With a grimace, he tilted the glass container back into his mouth and chugged as if his young life depended on it. The taste wasn't as bad as the smell, but the liquid burned like fire as he swallowed it. As he finished off the tiny vial he made a small retching sound and stuck his tongue out, seriously debating using the grass under his feet to get rid of the nasty burning sensation lingering in his mouth.

Yet as nasty as the taste had been, he noticed that he was no longer tired at all and his headache went away. He rolled his shoulders around and smiled, feeling way better than he did moments ago.

"Feel better now?" Beta asked.

"Uh-huh!" Cloud exclaimed with a grin.

"Good, let's get moving then, Gongaga is just beyond this stretch of jungle."

"Okie-dokie!"

Cloud then proceeded to skip into the underbrush because of all the energy that nasty tasting ether gave him. Leaves and twigs snapped and rustled underneath his bouncy steps as he looked all around him, never seeing the inside of a tropical jungle before. It was a little humid in here, but it wasn't near as stifling as the sticky air back in Cosmo. He glanced up to the canopy and watched the sunlight barely able to filter through the thick leaves above his head, looking like an SOS signal in a way.

So far so good! He was making better timing thanks to Alpha and had plenty of energy to spare thanks to that ether. This jungle didn't seem too bad and he hadn't seen a single monster yet! However, he stopped skipping and slowed to a stop when he saw two dim golden-yellow and teal bellied frogs standing on their hind-legs just a few feet to the left of him, watching him with their pinpoint pupils.

Cloud walked backwards a few steps, their eyes never leaving his moving form. He walked forwards again, the eyes continuing to follow him. The blonde smiled as he did this a few more times, completely amused. The frog on the right croaked, it's throat swelling with the sound before returning to normal. The child stopped moving and stood still as he continued to watch the frogs as they watched him.

"Hi froggies!" He greeted.

"Get away from them!" Beta cried as the child only took one step forward.

The blonde flinched from the volume of the middle voice's shout and stopped in his tracks. Was Beta just being mean to him again? Although his eyes widened and he shrieked in fright when the frogs went mutant on him. They started running on their long hind legs and their croaks sounded more like screeching battle-cries as they rushed at the child.

Cloud turned tail and ran! He couldn't believe it, he was running away from creepy mutant frogs! Of all the things he had to run from!

"Those are called Touch Me's. Weird name, I know. These frogs are the complete opposite of docile and have an insatiable appetite for whatever they can get their sticky tongues on. Turns out you're on the menu this morning."

 _"Was that supposed to be a joke!? Cause it wasn't funny, Beta!"_ Cloud screeched as he tore through the underbrush to escape the mutant frogs that were hot on his heels.

"All humor aside, once these frogs target their prey they won't stop until they've brought it down." Beta informed.

"What do I do then?!" The blonde cried in desperation.

"You still have that hunting knife in your bag, don't you?"

"Yes, why?"

"Get it out, you're going to fight them."

 _"What!?"_ Cloud shrieked as he jumped over a large tree root shooting up from the ground.

"You heard me, arm yourself." Beta ordered.

"Why can't you just fight them?" Cloud whined, taking a sharp right in hopes to shake off the scary amphibians. His efforts were in vain.

"You need to learn how to fight without my possessions, otherwise you will never gain any experience."

"But-"

 _"Draw your knife!"_

The intensity of the middle voice's demand had the blonde hurriedly digging through his bag, trying to find that knife he knew he brought along with him. Just as he pulled out the small blade, he failed to see a thick vine on the ground in front of him. His foot snagged through a loop in the vegetation and sent him crashing to the moist ground with a sharp yelp. The knife slipped from his hand and flew through the air, tumbling against the ground until it skidded to a stop a good five feet in front of him.

The mutant frogs let out another shrill cry that sounded like whooping as they funnily continued to run at him on their hind-legs. Cloud crawled towards the dropped knife as quick as he could, knowing those frogs were about to catch up to him within seconds. A shrill screech sounded above him and he knew one of the frogs had made a leap of faith to get him. Without thinking, he scooped up the knife in his right hand, rolled over on his back, and with a mighty cry, stabbed the Touch Me through its soft teal belly.

He flung the twitching body off the knife as blood spewed out of the injury. The frog tumbled across the ground and its croaking was gurgled and choked as if it was suffocating on its own blood. The other frog stood at a close distance, not rushing in like the other once had done. Cloud was panting and close to hyperventilating. The adrenaline in his blood was pumping fast and strong and sending his muscles and mind into overdrive. His heart was beating a million times a minute in his chest as he tried to even out his breath, the knife shaking violently in his right hand.

"Beta, what do I do now?" Cloud asked with a quivering voice.

"Wait for an opening. When it makes its move, strike first and strike fast."

"Okay, I'll try..."

"Don't try-"

The last Touch Me sprung into the air, opening its mouth and getting its tongue into a readied position to pull him in. Time seemed to crawl slower than a snail as the blonde watched the frog slowly move through the air, his own movements feeling sluggish as if he was trying to move in thick mud.

"-Do it!" Beta finished as time returned to normal speed.

Cloud rolled to the left just in time for the frog to hit the ground instead of a soft, fleshy body. As quick as he could, the blonde jut out the hunting knife in the frog's direction, skimming the slimy beast near the head but close enough to cleave his buggy right eye off. The Touch Me cried in agony as it writhed against the ground trying to make sense of what just happened to it as its eye, the organ flying a few meters away to splatter against the ground.

"Now finish it off!" Beta demanded.

Cloud raised the knife into the air above the creature, hovering mid-air for a few moments. He watched the frog writhing and screaming out in its own strange voice, struggling to hang on and escape it seemed. The blonde's arm began to tremble the longer he held the knife in the air and watched the creature cry out and twitch and use its hands to grip the spot where its eye had once been.

"I... I can't do it!" The blonde cried, trying to swing the knife down and end the beast's suffering but being unable to.

Instantly, the frog stopped squirming at looked at the blonde. There was a moment of silence where both boy and beast looked at the other. Of course, the frog played dirty and used one of its' legs to smack him in the face against his right cheek hard enough for the child to be knocked over on his side. Who knew mutant frogs were deceptive and strong butt-heads?

"You're a jerk!" Cloud screamed.

Well, at least he thought he screamed that. What came out instead sounded like he had a frog stuck in his throat. In fact, upon really listening to whatever he tried to say, it sounded anything _but_ human speech.

" _Ribbit! Ribbit, ribbit_!" Cloud exclaimed through the voice and the body of a frog just like the one that hit him.

"Frog jab, it's a humiliating attack alright. Just let it hit you again and you'll return back to normal." Beta explained as the child-turned-frog hopped around in circles with beady blue eyes croaking at the top of his lungs.

The Touch Me just stared at him again before kicking him on the left cheek this time. Cloud instantly reverted back to his human self as the his head connected with the floor of the jungle below. Then the beast's eye regenerated! It was just putting on a show to lower the child's guard! Cloud didn't like knowing that one bit. He especially didn't like being turned into a psycho mutant frog for a few seconds either! The blonde lifted his head back up from the ground and scooted away from that mutant creature. Out of sheer anger, he threw his knife straight at the frog as it embedded itself through its large mouth and out the back of its skull. It fell over and died just like the one before it.

This time he held no guilt or remorse for hurting and killing that faker frog. He sat up from the ground as a few dried brown leaves clung to his deep blue shirt and tan shorts. He gently ran a hand across either wound on his face and flinched. The frog left deep welts across his cheeks and there was warm liquid gently coating them. He just knew it was his own blood.

"If you had just killed it when you could have, then-"

"I didn't wanna kill a living thing, okay!?" Cloud interrupted before Beta could finish his sentence.

"...The village should be just up ahead." The voice stated before he faded away to leave the child to his own thoughts again.

The blonde stood up slowly and dusted the dirt and leaves off his clothes. He checked his bag to make sure nothing had fallen out when he tripped and fell. When everything had been looked over and accounted for, he walked up to the dead Touch Me and ripped his knife out of the frogs head. He then wiped off the bloody knife against a nearby tree to clean it up. When most of the clingy red liquid had been removed, he placed the weapon back into the bag and continued on in a forward direction.

Gongaga was just ahead! Although with every step he took, a weird feeling of déjà-vu settled in his stomach. For some reason, that vision he had seen in Cosmo of that black-haired man came to mind again. Another thought came to mind then. Why wouldn't Alpha let him see into his shared memories to see who that man was? More importantly, why could he feel Gamma get antsy from inside his head?

Hopefully his questions would be answered soon enough.

* * *

A/N: And here's where I'll be leaving off on this chappie! I hope you guys like it, even if it was mostly a character development filler chapter. For some reason, some people just don't seem to like filler chapters :o Anyways, leave me a review to let me know what you guys thought of it! They really help my muse :)

Thanks again to my lovely Beta reader, Ocena Strex~!

Until the next chappie everyone!

Toodles!

~Zimthrus1


	6. Familiar Faces

Heya everyone! Welcome to chappie six of Tsudzukeru! I meant to have this chapter out a week ago, but I procrastinated like a bad little author *sweat bead* But it is out and ready for a reading now! So, without further ado, enjoy! :)

* * *

~6: Familiar Faces~

Cloud continued to navigate through the thick foliage of the Gongagan jungles, stepping over uprooted trees or hopping over tangly vines. After the encounter with those Touch Me frogs, every time Cloud saw one he ran like Hell! No way was he going to get turned into one of those freaky things again! Once was enough in his opinion. He was beginning to see more speckled ray of sun from up ahead and he knew he was growing very close to the edge!

A smile gently etched its way onto his pale and dirtying face as he broke out into a light jog, soon making a game out of hopping over the objects and life against the ground below his feet. However, as he traded keenness for elation, he failed to see a twisted tree branch jutting out in his path. It snagged him right by the material of his satchel. It cause him to be pulled back and nearly loose his footing as he whipped his head around to assess the situation.

The part that connected the strap to the bag was hooked and tangled tightly against the skeleton like branch. Cloud turned his body to the best of his abilities and used his small fingers to try and work at the tangled material. After two whole minutes of trying to unknot the material from the tree branch, he just gripped the bag with both his hands and began to tug with all his strength. After three mighty tugs, the bag was freed from the bony clutches of the skeleton tree!

However, the transition from potential force to kinetic force caused him to fly back and hit the ground square on his back with a _thud_ as the air left his lungs in a hurry. He sat up and sucked in greedy gulps of air as hard and fast as he could. His blue eyes were wide with the sudden shock that stilled his body and made his heart go aflutter in his chest. He made sure to do a quick double-take of his bag. He checked to see if everything was still inside and undisturbed.

Why the heck did journeys like this have to be so darn difficult? Then again, it wasn't like he was on a camping trip or something and he'd be back by the end of the week. No, this was a permanent voyage, one he could not just ignore by this point.

When everything had been accounted for, he readjusted the bag across his shoulder and continued on towards the speckled sunlit area. Of course this go round, he made sure to keep his eyes in front of him for any more tree branches. It only took a few more minutes of walking before he finally reached the edge of the jungle. A few weeping willows blocked his sight of the lands before him, so he nudged away their drooping branches.

Cloud broke through the thick jungle foliage as harsh sunlight washed over his body. He hissed sharply as he used his right hand to shield his eyes from the copious amounts of sun shining into his unadjusted eyes. The heat had intensified by this point, beginning to feel stifling as he maneuvered through it. When his pupils adjusted to the shaded light his arm provided, he removed the limb from his brow and blinked a few times.

Tropical palm trees and aspens rose high into the clear sky above while the grass swayed like an ocean wave caught in the playful breeze. A dirt path broke out from the jungle and trailed underneath his feet further towards the village. However, as tropical and serene this place seemed to be, there was something that did not belong. That something being a massive Mako Reactor stationed a little further out from where he currently stood. It was fully functional and sucking mint green strands straight out of the earth below.

Cloud could see the ground around it in the distance. It was cracked and dry, like it was suffering through a harsh drought. Or perhaps looked as if it was the ground of a scorching desert. He took a few steps forwards as small pebbles and a cloud of dust was kicked up by his moccasins. Something about this place just felt and seemed vaguely familiar, like he should know this area. He also felt like that reactor as too much out of place for some reason.

"It must be destroyed." Alpha spoke up suddenly, causing the child to jump ever so slightly.

"The reactor?" He asked after recovering from his sudden shock.

"Correct."

"Cause it's bad for the planet, right?"

"Not only that, but it is an unexpected change to the future that I have not predicted. This reactor is supposed to be annihilated already, so why is it still standing?" Alpha contemplated in deep thought, expressing his musings aloud.

"What do you mean 'unexpected change'? Aren't we _supposed_ to be changing the future?" Cloud asked, feeling very puzzled at this moment.

"While that is true, there are certain events that must stay the same to our previous lives. If too much is changed, well, you know what the Butterfly effect is, I assume?"

"Yeah. The theory of a single thing, no matter how small, can change the course of the universe forever. I saw it in a movie once, it was really scary."

"Correct. So if we leave this reactor as it is, it could possibly alter the future without our doing and be too far beyond our reach to control anymore." Alpha explained diligently.

"So if we destroy it, then the odds are still gonna be in our favor?" Cloud inquired as his right eyebrow arched.

"Affirmative. In fact, Nanaki was supposed to be in Cosmo Canyon at this point in time. For him to not be present could turn out to be a bad omen. If we come across him, we must send him back immediately."

"Okay. Let's go get it outta the way then." Cloud decided, beginning to make his way towards the massive reactor.

He followed the tan dirty path below his feet, making sure he didn't stray off too far so he would not lose course. When the path split at a fork in the road, he took the left path instead of the right. When glancing towards the right, he noticed small houses and smoke drifting lazily out of chimneys. Therefore, he deduced the path to the reactor would be the left.

It winded, twisted, curved and turned as the blonde grudgingly followed the narrowing path as it slowly sunk a bit further down than the elevation the village was at. The monster of a machine only grew in size the closer he got to it. It was almost intimidating in a way. The harsh late summer sun did nothing to aid the child as he took the winding path towards the monster machine. If anything, it just made sticky beads of sweaty condensation form like pinpricks on the back of his neck and all over his exposed arms and legs.

Cloud groaned in anguish, beginning to despise summer and everything about it. He really wished it was winter right now so he could play in the cool snow. However, that was at least a good four months away. The blonde began to drag his feet as he trudged on, slouching his shoulders and hanging his head down as cicadas added to the ambiance.

"I hate summer... I hate frogs... I hate cicadas... I hate the sun..." Cloud muttered like a mad prayer mantra as he slowly shuffled his way across the dirt path and towards the reactor.

When his clothes began to stick to his body, he grabbed the collar of his dirt-pressed blue shirt and used it as a makeshift fan to cool himself off. It did next to nothing in the long run and only served to blow sticky air against his flesh. Knowing he still had a few good amount of water bottles on him, he decided to pull one out and take a few sips from them. He didn't want to drink too much and have Alpha chide him for blowing through their rations like hotcakes.

The filtered water was lukewarm against his lips, but it did provide his ever dry mouth with much needed moisture. He took large and greedy gulps, having to stop himself when he had easily chugged half a sixteen fluid ounce bottle in ten seconds. Even as he drank he continued to walk, not even stopping to twist the cap back on to the plastic bottle and put it back in his satchel.

Within no time after that, he slowed his walking to a complete stop when the mighty machine stood before him. He could hear the gurgle of the lifestream being uprooted from the ground and filtered through the air. At first, it had a sweet scent, like fresh spring rain and sweet peas. However, the after-smell was putrid like week old rotting carcass. Cloud scrunched his face up and made an audible retch noise as he shook his head from side-to-side.

"Cloud, make your way around the reactor." Beta jumped in suddenly.

"Mm, what's on the other side?" The blonde asked as his heart raced a million miles a minute from the surprise of the boisterous voice.

"There should be a small opening near the back, that's where the power source is kept. If you want to have a go at destroying it, you'll need to get your hands on it."

"Kay!" Cloud agreed before scurrying around the large machine, keeping his eyes fixated on the slow twirling strands of lifestream as they gently swirled to intermingle with the air around.

When he reached the other side after a small jog, he noticed the rather small opening near the bottom of the reactor. He approached it slowly, sinking down on his hands and knees to get a better look inside if he could. As he peered through the blurry plastic covering of the opening, he noticed a bright red blurry ball. He just _knew_ it was a summon Materia. There was a small circular opening right underneath the screen, just big enough for the child to be able to squeeze his hand in there and grab it.

No biggie, it was just like fishing out Phoenix in the town well back in Nibelheim. He was a little wary at first, sticking his hand into a big machine he knew nothing about. So he took great caution, slowly inching his hand in there bit by bit until his fingers curled around the orb. From there, it was just the matter of pulling the ball out. He held the shining sphere with both hands, getting a feel for the summon inside. He felt a strange strength inside with a faint sound that appeared to be a mix of a loud drum and a heartbeat.

"This is Titan. He'll come in handy." Beta explained.

"Titan, huh? What element is he?" Cloud asked as he now dumped the orb into one hand, then back to the other to repeat the process.

"Earth. Now that we have him our next course of action should be to destroy this reactor. It's not supposed to be-"

"-Up and running? Yeah, Alpha said the same thing." The blonde responded as he stood up from the ground and clenched the red orb in his right hand tightly.

"So it seems he's one step ahead."

As Cloud squeezed the orb tightly, bright light flashed in every direction and temporarily blinded him. He quickly shut his eyes and waited for the bright white light to dissipate. When it did, he was standing face to face with a little earth giant that was the same size as him. The blonde blinked absently, once, twice.

"Is he supposed to be this small?" He asked.

"Summons grow in direct proportion to their summoners. Right now every creature you summon is your size because your strength is not fully honed yet. If I were to summon Titan, he'd be about the size of a small skyscraper." Beta informed.

"So, am I even gonna be able to _do_ anything?" He asked as he cocked his head to the right at the summon, which in return, did the same to him.

"You may not be able to bring out his fullest potential, but I know with your current strength you can at least render the reactor useless and perhaps further crack the ground here."

"Okay..." Cloud said, a bit unsure after knowing this. That would explain why Phoenix was also his size. But then again she was still a powerful summon in the end, so hopefully, Titan would be as well.

The earth summon spun on his heel then leapt high into the air. He soared straight up for a good four seconds before crashing back down to the earth fist first. The force of impact caused the ground that was struck to splinter like old driftwood. The damage spread like cracked glass towards the ground under the reactor. It split and shifted, a few pieces of land rising while some fell to a lower elevation. The shifting tectonic force caused a large crack down the middle of the structure as a sharp hissing sound echoed through the still air.

The ground shook and trembled violently, making Cloud lose his balance and fall flat on his behind. His body was shaking right along with the earth and was even causing his own sight to quiver. Not only was it nauseating, but it was making him dizzy too by throwing off the fluids in his inner ears that pertained to his balance. It was so violent he could have sworn it was reverberating through the entire village not too far off from here.

Then it just stopped. The hissing from the cracked and split reactor was still strong and loud as ever. Cloud remained sitting against the splintered earth just until he was able to regain lost balance. Titan had a big grin across his face before he burst into light and assimilated back into the red orb in the blonde's hand. From the energy sap of the summon, he felt a little light-headed and it was slightly challenging to get back up on his feet. How long was it going to take before he could use summons without feeling tired?

As Cloud stood, he picked up a strong and foul scent in the air. He sniffed at it a few time as his nose scrunched up. It was almost a familiar smell. He recalled smelling something like this around that old truck parked near the village gate back in Nibelheim. This scent wasn't-

"Cloud, try to stay calm, but you need to run and you need to do it now!" Gamma broke through, not giving himself enough time for pleasantries.

"W-Wait, what? Why?" The blonde asked as he tried to pinpoint exactly what the smell was.

"It's gas! In this heat, the sun will be able to ignite it, now hurry!"

The blonde's body took over his brain and began to move without him really thinking about it. By the time his brain caught up with his body, the gas ignited and created a small explosion. Bits of the reactor flew out wildly in every direction as the heat of the blast burned against the back of the blonde's legs. Unable to run fast enough, a large piece of shrapnel about a foot wide and three inches thick sliced the back of his left calf open, cutting deep into the blonde's calf muscle.

Cloud cried out in pain and smacked into the ground face first without grace. The wound burned and stung like a bee sting or like someone had lit a hot match and swiped it across his skin. It throbbed with pain in rhythm to the beat of his own heart. He curled in on himself as his body fell to the right with a _whump_ sound. His hands gripped the bleeding injury, squeezing tightly to try and ebb the pulsating pain shooting through his haywire nerves.

The scarlet substance was so thick and vibrant like fresh paint or the red wrappers with the cinnamon candies inside. It quickly seeped into his skin and stained his hands blood red. Thick and fat tears swelled in his eyes and were easily able to fall right out with unrestrained ease. He began to sob and whine, trying his best not to break out into screams and a mad fit of crying. No doubt about it now, the villagers would definitely see that something was amiss.

Through the haze of his pain, a thought jumped through the back of his head and into the foreground. The villagers would come down here and inspect the reactor! They'd know he was the one to destroy it! He didn't want to get in trouble for something the voices told him to do! Not wanting to be found out and chewed out, he removed his hands from his ever bleeding calf and stretched them out in front of him. He dug his fingers into the dirt and began to drag himself towards the lip of the jungle in a slow fashion.

He hoped he could break through the foliage before people caught wind of him being here. His leg was hurting really bad and he was now crying by this point as he continued to drag himself away. He was frightened, he was in pain, and he was scared. The only thing he could think of doing was getting away at that moment in time. So he crawled on, unaware of the blood trail he was ever so generously leaving behind.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cloud found the familiar and frightening shelter at the edge of the jungle as the canopy shielded his body from the harsh summer sun. The cicada ' _zwee'_ soundswere much louder in here now as the humidity made him break out into more of a sweat. He crawled against the ant-infested and rather moist ground below him in an effort to fully cloak himself in the greenery. He spotted a large mossy rock about three meters out.

The burning in the back of his still bleeding calf had subsided, but the stinging had increased by tenfold. Even one little twitch sent his spastic nerves for a spin and caused him more pain. He had never experienced a nagging and sharp wound quite like this before. It was so brutal it had him feeling like his stomach was churning full of heavy lead rocks. The cut was deep and the nerves might have even been severed for all he knew.

Before he even made it to the moss covered rock, he ended up throwing up that water he drank earlier right in front of him. Not to mention bits of his dinner from last night were among the mix of clear acid and chunks of still undigested material. He ended up dragging himself through his own bile to make it to rest against that mossy rock. Once he did, he all but rested his face against the cool dampness of it as his filthy hands went back to nursing his wound.

The dirt and blood from his hands caused the rather dull throbbing to kick back up and start stinging him like it was fresh all over again. He moaned as more tears squeezed out of the corners of his eyes and raced down the tracks of the old ones before them. Why didn't any of the voices tell him to get any medical supplies besides ethers and- Wait.

Cloud removed his right hand from his bleeding calf and opened up the flap to his satchel to dig through it. He had potions, he knew it! His spirits seemed to lift as he dug through his overstuffed satchel. However, elation slipped into confusion, before that confusion melded into panic. Where were those vials of potions and ethers? Then he felt a few of his fingers slip through the material of the bag and out into the open. There was a hole in his satchel. But how?

Memory then caught up to him as he remembered tearing his bag away from the skeleton tree. He had checked to see if everything was accounted for, but he had failed to check the bag itself for any holes. That panic then smacked straight down into misery. How could he have been so _stupid_ as to not check his bag thoroughly?

He thought about going back where he came to find those dropped vials, but as soon as he made move to put those thoughts into action, his torn calf muscle reminded him that it was wounded as it sent another fresh shockwave of pain up and down his legs to tingle in the back of his head. He decided to see how bad the damage was. His left hand could no longer absorb any more blood and now it was just running right off his saturated skin. The torn muscle was still bleeding profusely, but the grip his left hand had kept it from completely bleeding out all over the place.

Now out of pain and anger for his own stupidity, he began to cry again. His left hand squeezed his broken skin together tighter as his blood-soaked right hand embedded itself into his hair to trail down his face and leave a scarlet smear against his temple and down to his chin. Salty tears flowed steadily out of brightly bloodshot red eyes. He continued to cry like that for some time, trying his best to ebb away the pain to only be unsuccessful in the end.

However, a rustling noise from eight meters out and closer to the lip of the jungle had his cries dwindle down to hushed sobs, unable to completely stop the flow of tears and waves of pain from his stinging wound. Footsteps echoed against fallen leaves and discarded twigs as whatever was at the edge of the jungle had now entered it. The way it moved, slowly with many pauses signaled it was scoping out the environment. But when it picked up on the sounds of hushed whines and sobs, those footsteps became quick and diligent.

Through the blur of his thick tears, Cloud could make out a tall figure rushing in his direction. It stopped about three meters out to stare. The blonde shifted his eyes away towards his wound and squeezed it tighter, silently cursing himself for letting himself get injured and for letting his vials slip away in an undetected hole.

When tears cleared from his eyes, the blurred figure became much more distinguishable as he looked back up. Wild raven black locks resembling porcupine quills sat atop his head while his uneven bangs split down the middle of his forehead to taper his young, yet strangely adult, looking face. Bright lilac eyes with violet bursts accentuated sun-kissed tan skin. He was tall, lean, and had some muscle building up even from this distance. He was clothed in a plain white v-neck shirt with green colored camouflage cargo pants. A dark brown belt looped around the rather large pants and held them up properly.

Cloud realized he had caught the attention of one of the villagers.

The unknown male carefully approached him as his eyes studied the blonde's own, as if looking for any signs of hostility or anger. When he saw nothing but fear and pain and that large bloody gash he was clenching closed, he dropped the cautious act and hurried right over to the injured boy. He eased himself on to his knees right in front of the child.

"Are you alright?" He asked in a concerned voice.

From inside his head, the blonde could hear a faint gasp from Gamma, a small stolen air sound from Beta, and a sharp inhale from Alpha himself. From there, another vision burned through the blonde's head. He pictured this same man in front of him with his hair slicked back, but having a single strand hang in front of his face. His eyes were bright blue: The color of the sky. He was clothed in what appeared to be a standard SOLDIER First Class uniform.

That vision instantly melded with the one he saw in Cosmo Canyon after he had mention himself feeling like he was becoming a puppy dog. The visions left just as quick as they came, leaving a strange kind of familiarity in the air as the two looked at the other. The blonde was then able to piece together those illusions along with the subtle audio clues from his personas:

All three of them knew this man.

This realization unlocked a memory from deep in the back of his head. He was leaning over him, hand on his shoulder with a concerned look on his face, sadness written in his eyes, and pity tugging into a tight and forced grin at the corners of the lips.

 _'Hey, you doing okay?'_ He had asked, gently squeezing that shoulder reassuringly. Why he looked so sad and heartbroken was beyond the blonde child's reasoning.

When Gamma made a strangled noise that sounded like a held back cry of sorrow, Cloud just knew he had viewed one of his youngest persona's memories.

"Do you know where you are right now?" The raven-haired male pressed when he saw the child's face fall into a blank stare into his own eyes like he had just mentally shut down. However, copious amounts of salty tears continued to drip down his face like a leaky faucet.

"Gon... Gaga..." Cloud uttered, his eyes still blank as they stared into lilac ones.

"Where are you from? Are you lost?" He urgently asked, eyes occasionally glancing from his pale and dirty face to his bleeding calf.

"Nu-Uh... Nibelheim." The blonde responded slowly after sniffing thickly to pull back mucus.

It was the mystery man's turn to give the child a blank look. _Nibelheim?_ As in one-hundred and two miles away buried in perilous mountains Nibelheim? He was a child no less! How had he crossed two rivers and a town and end up here all on his own? And right around the time the reactor malfunctioned? What could _that_ mean? However, he noted there were more important things to take care of first, like that deep gash in the child's left calf.

Cloud's blank stare soon slipped away when he noticed this man was reaching for his wounded leg. He didn't feel any hostility from him, but was still slightly crazed from pain. He used his hands to pull his leg further away from the bare hand coming too close for his likings. He sniffed thickly again as the tiniest sob escaped through barely parted lips.

"Hey, it's alright. I'm not gonna hurt you." The male reassured gently with a soft smile that was able to make his eyes shine with genuine concern. He then sat on his knees as his calves burned from the stretch they were in.

"Yes you are..." The child accused as he tore his eyes away. _'Yeah, he'll hurt me just as soon as he finds out what I did to the reactor.'_

"Cloud, he's not going to hurt you, you can trust him. If anything, he'll just take really, really good care of you... I know... " Gamma spoke up quietly, almost forlornly.

Hearing his most resourceful and understanding voice tell him that it was safe to trust the man with a strange sense of familiarity, he allowed himself to relax to the best of his pained abilities. As his guard fell, so did more tears as he soon found himself crying all over again. His whole body racked with sobs and shivers as his eyes stung and burned like his leg was doing. Some eleven-year old he was, crying like this.

Tender and cautious arms gently wrapped around the child's upper and lower back as he was gently peeled away from the damp mossy rock and closer towards the body of the man. The movement caused his wounded leg to flare as his nerves crackled up to his brain. A whimper and a moan escaped from the back of his throat as he was pulled to a more comfortable position on the man's lap.

"Oh, sorry about that, kiddo. Alright, lemmie see it." The ravenette coaxed gently.

Cloud was slow and steady as he removed his hands from his ever bleeding wound. It had lessened some, but it didn't do much. The older male observed the pulsating wound, trying his best to not prod at it to assess the extent of the damage. Yeah, this was the source of the blood trail from the reactor alright.

He was probably caught up in that earthquake and wounded when the blasted machine blew to bits. But why was he down there in the first place? Doesn't he know how dangerous that area is? There are some decently tough monsters in hiding down there. How he didn't agitate one was beyond him.

"Zack! Did you find anything?" A distant voice cried as the body it belonged to navigated through the jungle.

"Yeah! It's a kid and he's hurt!" The ravenette called back as he turned his head to glance over his shoulder when he called out.

So Cloud could now put a name to a face. It was such a familiar name too. He just knew this man and the one in the memories of his personas shared the same face and name. Now if only they would let him in so he could share in that knowledge of who exactly this man was, or had been in their cases.

"How bad is it?" The voice cried out as it seemed to be getting closer to them.

"It's pretty bad and he's still bleeding! He needs some medical attention pronto!" Zack called back as his arms tenderly engulfed the smaller child into more of a protective hold.

Cloud couldn't stop the faint pink blush from radiating off his cheeks as his eyes tore back to his wound. He blinked a few times and noticed that his vision was starting to get blurry even though there weren't any more tears billowing his irritated eyes. His head felt light and strange, like he had just finished running a marathon or something. He found himself struggling to take even a normal breath and ended up breathing in a ragged and exhausted fashion. This drew the attention of the ravenette as those lilac eyes met with his own eyes of sky blue.

"Just hang in there, kiddo. You'll be okay." He reassured gently as a wave of restrained concern flashed in his eyes for just a brief moment.

The ravenette adjusted the child in his arms before slowly easing back on to his feet. Cloud couldn't restrain a sharp cry and whimper of searing pain as he bonked his head softly against the older male's clothed torso as if that would do some good to stop his pain. He could hear his own blood dripping against the plant life from below where he hung. Every ragged breath echoed in his ears as a small ringing sound soon invaded his ears, making the rest of his hearing go blurry too, like he was underwater.

He felt his body being jostled slightly and he could barely make out the moving jungle around them. They had started to move again and if the blonde knew any better, he'd say he was being taken back to the village to receive medical attention. He heard Zack telling him to hang on just a little bit longer, could feel those arms carrying him wrap more tightly around his body. He was trying, really, he was. But sleep just sounded too enticing to pass up and he slowly slipped into unconsciousness.

"Hah, another leg injury. How ironic." The solemn voice of Gamma spoke softly before Cloud fully fell under the trance of sleep.

 _'What does that mean?'_ Was the last thing to cross Cloud's mind before he fully went under.

* * *

 _The thick ashy grey sky was up in obsidian smoke. It ascended into the cold mountain air slowly and thickly, much like the choking smoke produced by the furnace of a coal operated train. Thick yellow fire licked and contorted the twisted metal resembling a husk of skeleton. What had once been a chopper was now declared unrecognizable as the greedy flames ate up each piece and chunk of steel. The heat of the blaze melted the thick and frothy snow all around the gnarly mass of ruined transportation, turning it to slush and water._

 _Snow fell all around in a slow fashion, the scene was portrayed like a snowglobe with the burning metal in place of a skyscraper as ash and snow took the place of what would be bits of translucent pastel confetti or small white bits of packing material. The wind howled like the droned call of a distant and forlorn wolf, echoing eternally throughout the choking dark and clouded sky._

 _A twitch, a twinge, a movement in the snow. From under a thin and powdery blanket of fresh crystalline snow lay an incapacitated figure. Bright wheat blonde hair shot out in unruly directions as if to defy gravity. The figure lay face down, curled in on himself save for one slender and scathed arm stretched out in front of him. The gloved limb twitched and curled, balling a handful of snow together in his fist. The figure then drug his hand back right next to his down-turned face. With effort, he slowly was able to lift his head up to observe his surroundings._

 _Cloud Strife saw nothing but ash and snow and the darkness of night greeted his eyes of sky blue. The wind gently whispered against his ear and whipped his hair all around his scraped up face. A cut lay underneath his right eye, across the fullest part of his cheekbone. It was a thin line but it was deep enough to draw the slightest sliver of crimson blood to the surface. A small trickle of it slowly inched down his face like raindrops against a clingy windowsill. Snow and dirt lay pressed into his face to sully his milky complexion._

 _He grunted as he attempted moving his limbs. He was sore and stiff, like he had just torn every muscle in his body. There were tiny twinges of pain running across his arms and legs like wild and untamable currents of electricity. He was dazed and his neck was now beginning to ache the longer he kept his head cocked up in an unnatural angle. He softly lowered his head back against his left fist to keep from getting it wet and cold from the tender snow below._

 _What had exactly happened? He tried to search for an answer in the back of his head but was only able to draw blanks. The fire wooshed loudly as a playful strand of air caught it by its tip and made the whole blaze dance by natures' will. It dispersed the heat further across the ground and closer to the incapacitated teen still laying belly-down in the snow. The uncomfortable heat licked at his booted feet and clothed legs. A few cuts and tears in the fabric of his uniform were decorated with little bloody cuts and scrapes._

 _He soon realized that as cold winter air harshly slapped him in the face that his helmet was missing. He looked to the left and right, only finding himself unable of locating the blasted headgear. It probably saved his life from the crash. Speaking of, he hadn't necessarily surveyed the damage of the wreck. He slowly began to hunch himself to his hands and knees, taking longer than he would have liked due to the stiffness in his bones and joints. He used his arms to push himself back in order to sit on his knees against the slushy snow._

 _He then heard a gasp over the howling wind and roaring fire. Cloud's ears twitched at the small sound as he slowly pivoted his body in a one-eighty degree angle to face the other way. What he saw had his blue eyes grow wide and his heart clenched tightly, seizing its beating for only a moment before beating haphazardly against his ribcage._

 _Zack Fair: Current commanding officer and full-time friend stared right into his eyes from his sitting position in the slush below. His bright Mako blue eyes were bloodshot red as transparent tear tracks streaked down his cheeks like little rivers rushing down his face to meet at the base of his chin. In his trembling gloved hands was the blonde's helmet. It was cracked and splintered and the visor was shattered. A large piece of twisted metal was wedged deep into the top of the helm._

 _All around the Lieutenant lay the scattered bodies of their comrades, well, what was left of them anyways. Some were missing arms while some were lacking their legs. One body was void of its head. However, mounds of snow were piled on top of the bodies to serve as make shift graves. With the ever falling snow, they would soon be completely buried in a substance much more soft and gentle than dirt._

 _Scarlet and crimson bathed the virgin snow in every splattered direction, tainting its purity. So they were the only survivors of the wreck. But judging by the tears caked deep into the First Class's eyes, he had assumed he had lost more than just fellow comrades. He thought he must have lost a good friend._

 _The ruined helmet all but slipped right out of his hands as the limbs remained poised in the air like he was still holding on to the object. If Cloud had anything in his scraped hands right about now, he'd probably be dropping it too by the bloodshed and shock all around the snow-laden mountainside. Blue clashed with blue for many more moments, almost as if one set of azure was in denial at what his eyes were displaying to his brain._

 _The ravenette quickly scampered to his feet and rushed towards the kneeled blonde, dropping into the slushy-snow right in front of him. A hand poised itself under his chin and turned his head to the left and then to the right gently but shakily. Cornflower eyes surveyed every conceivable inch of the blonde's scraped and slightly bloodied form as that hand gently dropped from his chin._

 _"You're okay..." Zack responded with barely a voice and more carried on a breath or a sigh instead. "You're okay!" He repeated with passion replacing the sigh as broad arms wrapped tightly around the smaller shoulders of the cadet before him._

 _Cloud was at a loss for words, but a bright pink flourish was just enough to do the talking for him. He gently pulled his head down to gently rest his forehead against the crook of the ravenette's broad neck. A gentle whiff had his sense of smell overloaded with the fragrance of sweet peas and violet, such a delicate and soothing smell for such a boisterous and powerful individual. It was almost out of character._

 _The large teen pulled himself away from the trooper and held him at arm's length as he fished out a mile wide smile that made his eyes light up like the cosmos. That overly contagious smile had the blonde cracking a light grin at the corners of his rather dry lips._

 _"You are one lucky guy, you know that right?" Zack asked as his eyes did a double-take at the flaming mass of metal that was once a Shin-Ra helicopter._

 _"Not just me." Cloud responded as his eyes glanced at the fiery mass as well._

 _"...I thought you were gone too. Everyone was missing limbs and had already bled to death when I came to. I saw your helm right next to me. When I saw it all beaten up like that, I just assumed that, well, ya' know..." The ravenette explained as his eyes rolled around as he retold his tale._

 _"And this is why you're called a Puppy. Always acting out on impulse before really scouting things out." Cloud responded with a smile that graced his face and made his eyes softly shimmer._

 _"Arf!" Zack responded playfully before a little lilted laugh followed suit._

 _However, that playful laugh and smile slowly drained from the ravenette's tan face, eyes shining in something less playful. Cloud cocked his head to the right as his brows gently furrowed together._

 _"Seriously though, I'm really glad you're okay." He responded with a tiny grin gently tugging at the corners of his lips._

 _Cloud blushed briefly before he graced a quick laugh before rubbing right behind the First Class's left ear right at his hairline to gently bring back that playful side of the First Class. The ravenette stuck his tongue out and scrunched his eyes shut like the blonde was scratching a really good spot as if he really had been a puppy all this time. This display of behavior had the blonde giggling before he pulled his hand away._

 _"Alright, with all humor and dread aside, we need to try and make it to the village we were supposed to already be at." Zack reminded as he stood from the slush as the snow fell a little harder all around them._

 _He reached our his right hand and offered it to the blonde to take. Cloud let a little grin tug at the right corner of his lips before he accepted the hand and was gently helped up on to his own feet. He was a bit wobbly at first and required steadying out, but soon found the proper footing and regained complete balance in the slush. They looked towards the mountain path that would serve as their route towards the small village called Icicle Inn._

 _Originally, they were on duty, sent out on a mission to exterminate some haywire monsters that descended from the mountain and began to attack the village and the people within it. In the distance, there was the faintest of pale yellow glows. That faint shimmer of light had to be coming from the village, or at least a rest point along the trail. Judging by the distance of the light from where they stood, it was probably going to be about a four mile walk on foot._

 _"Alrighty blondie, let's get a wiggle on." Zack spoke as he began to walk. He waved his hand in the air to motion for the cadet to follow his lead._

 _"A wiggle? How old school are you?" Cloud taunted playfully, recalling from his history lessons in school that one of the sayings the ravenette just happened to quote was straight out of the early twenties._

 _"Old enough to call people pills, but young enough to think that the 'bee's knees' is probably the lamest thing I've ever heard." The SOLDIER responded truthfully as he continued to lead the way through the snowy night._

 _"If I ever hear you say 'that's the bee's knees', I will literally punch you." The blonde threatened as he readied his right fist as a grin cracked across his face._

 _"Whatever you say, slang-control." The ravenette responded with a shrug of the shoulders followed by a bright laugh._

 _The snow still fell around them in a quiet and serene manner, lighting up the ground below and before them like little moons. Since the sky was so dark, the snow made up for the lack of moonlight and was able to provide them with just enough glow to see where they were not going and fall off the edge of the cliff and to their untimely deaths._

 _They conversed here and there, providing idle chitchat as they trudged on through the winding trail. Their warm breaths puffed out like little clouds as they breathed out. Chills ran up and down any part of skin that was left exposed to the chill of a snowy winter night. Often times they had to pause to warm themselves up with friction, or if you were the ravenette, with strenuous squats. After they raised their core temperatures, they'd start their trek once more._

 _About halfway through their wandering, Zack suddenly stopped. Cloud slowed and stopped right next to him, eyes glinting in curiosity as he looked towards the older teen. Said teen's eyes were furrowed in deep thought or concentration as silence settled over them like the snow._

 _"Zack? What's going-"_

 _"Draw your nightstick. We have company."_

 _The blonde reached for the nightstick strapped to his right thigh slowly, keeping his eyes on the cliffs above their heads. He saw nothing, but he could feel it in his gut that something was starting to stir. As he drew his weapon, so did the ravenette. As soon as weapons were drawn, savage growls were heard sliding down the cliffs from above them._

 _Their heads snapped up just in time to see a small pack of Bandersnatches sliding their way. Zack leapt back while Cloud stumbled forward as the five Banders stood in the snow where they once stood. They growled and snapped their slobbery jaws at each of the teens, hungry and looking for a nice and filling meal. The alpha of the group was slightly bigger than the rest as its coat looked more maintained and less mangy than the others._

 _The two were only given a moment before the feral beasts lunged, claws and teeth bared. Two lunged for Zack while two lunged for Cloud. The Alpha remained poised in the center, probably plotting something. When it came to Bandersnatches, there was always an Alpha and the others always took direct orders from them, hunting in packs with unpracticed ease. With a good commanding leader and a competent pack, they could easily take down chocobos. Those birds put up a good fight too._

 _The ravenette sliced one Bander through the belly, spewing blood to the ground below as if flew over his shoulder to tumble against the snowy ground, twitch, then die. The other was able to change course, four paws clinging to the cliff wall before lunging again. The ravenette deflected the blow with his Buster sword, using the blunt edge as to not damage the actual blade itself. Cloud was able to beat one of the beasts off while the other tried to circle around him. With a quick spin on his heel, he was able to push the second wolf creature aside as the other went in for another lunge._

 _Cloud was back and forth in pushing off and outright smacking those damned beasts in the jaw. One would attack and he'd deflect, then the other would lunge and he'd have to duck or dodge quick enough, only having to go back on the defensive when the first one went in for another attack again. It was a viscous cycle that was slowly beginning to wear the blonde cadet down just enough to develop a thin glaze of sweat on the back of his neck and begin to breathe a little heavier in the cold._

 _Zack was able to slice the other Bandersnatch and sent it to the ground like the one before it that was staining the snow behind him. Before he could even make move to assist the blonde, the Alpha jumped in growling savagely at him. The cadet was finally beginning to wear himself out with the constant block, jab, and dodge. He knew he needed to finish one of them off quickly. If only his rifle hadn't broken to pieces he'd be done by now._

 _When Bander number one lunched at him, Cloud struck the beast by its temple, then used the kinetic force to swing the beast across the air and over the drop of the steep mountain path. The flailing body went tumbling down the face of the cliff before it faded away into the dark oblivion many meters or miles down. When Bander one was eliminated, Bander number two aimed low instead of high this time and locked its jaw with the cadet's right leg._

 _Cloud cried out in pain as the beast sent him to the snowy ground, tearing at his leg and jerking its head from side-to-side to try and rip off a meaty piece. The blonde tried to use his nightstick and smack the beast to death, but it doesn't too much good to a creature with lockjaw. If anything, it just bit down harder. The blonde let loose with a pained scream as his gloved fingers dug into the snow and down to the dirt below, trying to anchor himself in place._

 _"Cloud!" Zack cried as he deflected a blow from the lead wolf spawn._

 _He knew he couldn't waste anymore time. Turning the blade from the dull to the sharp side, he sliced right into the leader and right out the back. He yanked the blade out as guts and blood spilled from the Bandersnatch as it twitched and seized before falling deathly still as it expired. He silently apologized to Angeal for how he had to use the blade and was about to have to use the sharp side again. He sprinted from his spot and towards the blonde only five meters from him._

 _He jabbed the blade through the beast's bottom teeth, skimming the tearing fabric of the cadet's pants and cracking the calcium bits of bone inside its mouth. With a swift tug down, he severed the jaw right off the creature as the appendage hit the snow below. It whimpered and quickly scurried back, stumbling over itself before running away with its tail tucked between his legs._

 _When the pressure of the fangs had left the blonde's meaty calf, he let out a cry as the punctures began to ooze blood to trickle down the back of his leg and dot the snowy ground below. The ravenette sunk to his knees and pulled the cadet off the snowy terrain and gently eased him into a sitting position as he let the blonde rest his upper body against the SOLDIER's own. He peeled away a few torn bits of cloth from the bloodied area to study the damage done to the lithe teen._

 _There were thick and deep teeth wounds shaped just like the snout of the Bandersnatch. Each hole oozed and spurted blood as the blonde squirmed and writhed, his gloved hands balled into fists and gripping the knees of his pants tightly. His injured leg twitched with the pain and seemed to throb with every erratic beat of his own heart._

 _"Yeah, it got you good alright. We've gotta stop the bleeding." Zack observed before taking action._

 _He took the hem of the turtleneck part of his uniform before ripping it all the way around to make a crude bandage for his leg._

 _"Alright, hold as still as you can, Spiky, this might sting a little." The ravenette said, giving the blonde a fair warning._

 _He peeled back the ruined pants to further expose the wound. He took off his right glove and balled a fistful of snow into his hand. The coolness of the powdery substance stung his hand like little needles and a faint burn, be he pressed on. He gently laid the snow onto the wound and pressed it against the warm and burning injury. Cloud squirmed and bit his lip as a disgruntled groan tried to slip out of his mouth. The snow melted into water and served as somewhat of a make shift disinfectant._

 _He then took the deep navy blue material and wrapped it around his bleeding leg. The blonde writhed and tried to pull his leg away from the cloth's irritating touch. However with one hand that held his leg against the ground firmly, this ensured that his leg would not be going anywhere until the deed was done. The crude bandage had to be wrapped securely around the wound, then tightened to coagulate the blood faster._

 _"Ahh!" The blonde cried with a sharp and cracked voice as the make shift bandage tightened around his tender injury. A few tears managed to penetrate the stronghold of his eyes and slip down his cheeks silently._

 _"Alright, we're done. We're done." Zack repeated as his right index finger brushed away the tear tracks running down his cheeks before his broad arms slipped around the blonde's torso to give him a sense of comfort and security._

 _"I'm sorry, Zack. I screwed up..." Cloud choked, hanging his head down as he tried to hold back more tears._

 _"No, no, no, you didn't screw up." The ravenette soothed as he gently began to rock himself side-to-side, the cadet's upper body gently swaying with in a comforting fashion._

 _"I did too. Damn it, if only I wasn't so damn weak!" Cloud denied as he shook his head, the comforting swaying not doing much good anymore._

 _"Hey, none of that negative talking. That's an order, Strife. If you were weak you would have died in that chopper crash." Zack deadpanned, stopping the rocking as his tone fell strangely serious, even for him._

 _"Mm, yes sir." The blonde responded with a mumble._

 _"Alright. Now we really need to make tracks. The sooner we get to that village the sooner we can eliminate the problem and get a nice meal in our stomachs." Zack finalized as he gently held the blonde at arm's length just long enough to crouch to his knees and turn on his heel._

 _"Kay, grab on, you're going for a little ride." The ravenette said with a trademark smile as he held his arms out behind him._

 _"Uh, I, no, that's okay. I can just, walk or something." Cloud stammered as a bright beet red blush flourished across his entire face._

 _"We aren't going anywhere until you get on my back." The ravenette bluntly stated as he looked over his right shoulder and into those eyes of the sky behind him._

 _"But, I-"_

 _"I can always order you, ya' know?" Zack cut in with a playful glimmer in his eyes as he gestured to his back again._

 _"Ughh... You're impossible." Cloud moaned as that red blush spread all around him now, even slithering down to his neck._

 _Without further stammering or excuses he gently eased himself against his best friend's back. When he was secure in his arms, Zack stood up to his full height and began the trek to Icicle Inn. However, he couldn't resist a smile when he eventually felt the blonde rest his head against his shoulder and fully relax._

 _"Thank you, Zack." Cloud responded softly against his left ear._

 _"No problem, Cloud." He responded as his smile grew and a pink blush gently traced his cheekbones_

* * *

A/N: And there's chappie six for you all! :) I hope you enjoyed another one of the memory sequences, I had a lot of fun writing it out as I felt kinda bleh, with the rest of the chappie. But anyhow, send me some feedback if you would all be so kind, they really help!

Many thanks and virtual cookies to my awesome Beta, Ocean Strex~!

Toodles!  
~Zimithrus1


	7. Like Balloons

Greetings and salutations everyone! Sorry for the long disappearance, but I was just lazy and never got around to pumping out this chapter til now! Okay well, not really lazy completely, but busy too! I got lasik surgery early July and went to an anime con, cosplaying as Zack the following week.

It was pretty funny because I kept dropping my glove and my friend turned to me about after the seventeenth time I dropped it and she's like "If I hear you drop that glove again, I am going to smack you with it. If I even hear that soft _plop_ noise, I will kill you." XD If you already knew that, then ignore that last bit, if not, there ya' go! Anyways, I'll let you guys get to reading now ^^; Enjoy!

* * *

~7: Like Balloons~

The first thing that ran through Cloud's head as he came to was how comfortable he felt. He slowly cracked his cerulean blue eyes open, vision blurred by the heaviness of his eyelids. He blinked once, twice, to clear out the fogginess in his sight and clear out the double vision. His eyes connected to an alabaster white ceiling with dark brown support beams slashing across in a vertical fashion. There was a ceiling fan on and switched to low to create a small amount of circulation within the room.

He turned his head to the right to get a better look at the environment he was in. There was a dresser in the corner across the room with a small lamp and assorted model airplanes and tanks on the top. Adjacent to the dresser was a small box TV with a VCR underneath. A few dusty tapes lay in their cases in a shelf below the small entertainment center.

Next to the small table with the electronics was the closet, the door shut and covered in posters of old muscle cars and Shin-Ra advertisements. In front of the closed closet door was a deep blue duffel bag that was crammed full and was barely able to zip closed properly. Of what the bag was full of, the blonde did not know.

Cloud looked down to find himself tucked snugly into a full sized bed adorned in midnight navy blue sheets. He pulled his arms out from under the thick covers and pushed them off his body as he slowly began to sit up. When he looked at his injured leg, he found it wrapped up in tan bandages and tended to. He gently flexed his foot, wincing slightly when the smallest waves of prickling pain tickled through his body like the numbness of a limb falling asleep.

It didn't hurt as bad as before and he made more of a wider range of motion with his leg, but jerks or sudden movements would cause the large gash to ache. He'd have to be a little careful when wandering around or walking. The eleven-year-old then remembered that he had his bag on him before falling unconscious, and now it was missing. After a brief scan of the room, he noticed it on the floor resting against the large dark colored dresser.

He needed to take stock and see if anything else had gone missing since the bag received that tear in the jungle. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and gently let them rest against the shaggy tan carpet below. He eased himself into a standing position by using his arms more than his legs. His face contorted and twisted into a grimace at the stinging pain in the back of his left calf, but he managed to be successful in standing up. As long as he put his weight on his right leg, he'd be just fine.

He limped over to the tattered looking satchel and used the dresser as an anchor while he leaned down and curled the strap into his right hand. He lifted the bag up and took it back to the bed. He opened the flap and checked his things. Rations, water bottles, his tent and hunting knife were all there. Aside from his missing ethers and potions, he had everything checked and accounted for. The blonde nodded in conformation and set his satchel on the ground and let it lean against the bed.

Cloud wondered whose house he might be recovering in, and who had gone out of their way to patch him up and... _change his clothes?_ When looking himself over, he noticed he was in a completely new set of clothes. He still had his hair tucked into his sky blue chocobo feathered hair tie, but instead of Cosmo Canyon apparel, he was dressed in navy green cargo shorts and a plain black shirt. Both articles of clothing were a size too big for him, but otherwise fit fine.

After one last scope of the room, he noticed both pairs of his old clothes from Nibelheim and Cosmo together folded up and looking relatively clean. His old sets must have been washed as well. The blonde desperately wanted to know who went out of their way to do all this for him. He decided to approach the closed bedroom door and stand right before it.

However, his ears then picked up the sounds of hushed voices from behind the protection of the closed door. His ears twitched as he honed in on the voices and strained to listen in to hear what they might be talking about. To get a better listen, he pressed his ear against the door's flimsy wood.

"...You aren't going to admit that this whole situation is just a little bit too coincidental? I mean, think it out, not five minutes after the Reactor blows up we follow a blood trail and find a child not even from around here hiding in the jungle?" A new voice that Cloud had never heard before spoke up in an accusatory manner.

"I admit it is all a little strange, but to accuse an child of blowing up a _Reactor?_ I don't even think he's older than ten, so stating that he's involvedis just absurd." A feminine voice countered.

"It was an earthquake that destroyed the Reactor. You felt the shaking just like everyone else." The familiar voice of Zack seconded with the female.

"Yeah, it was an earthquake, I know that. But don't you find it odd? We _never_ have earthquakes around this time of year, and never to that level of severity either." The unknown male voice challenged.

"It's like monsoons out near the ocean, Jason: They don't happen often and when they do it's always at the strangest timing. The little one just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time is all." Mrs. Fair urged on, trying to compare this situation with another.

"Did any of you scour the Reactor after you took that mystery boy back here?"

"Did _you_ happen to do so, Jason?" The female responded, answering a question with one of her own.

"Yeah, I did, Mrs. Fair. You know what I found? No monsters around the area, not even the harmless ones." The one known as Jason countered.

"They probably got scared during the earthquake, what does that even have to do with anything?" Zack questioned.

"So that means it wasn't one of the monsters that had anything to do with the Reactor blowing to bits! And not only that, but you know that the power source to make that Reactor run was a red crystal like thing? When I checked the hole it was supposed to be in, it was missing."

"Yeah, a _Materia?_ You're pretty dense if you work around the reactor and don't even know what the thing is powered by!" Zack insulted.

"Hey, you don't have to go about insulting me just because of what I think!" Jason growled.

"Zackary, I can handle this. I appreciate your desire to help and protect the child, but insulting Jason isn't the way to go about doing so. Anyways, are you saying that the boy pulled it out, used whatever magic that was inside, and caused the whole ground to shake?" Mrs. Fair gently reprimanded before relaying her next question to Jason.

"That's the only thing that makes sense! Argh, I'm getting nowhere asking you guys. Where's the kid? I wanna ask _him_ a few questions!" Jason bellowed, the sound of wood scraping over tile echoing loudly even from behind the door.

Cloud pulled his ear away from the door and stepped back, nearly falling over when he put too much weight on his injured leg. One of the villagers was on to him! He was going to barge in here and demand the answer straight from his own mouth! Then everyone would know that it _was_ his fault that the Reactor was destroyed! His hands clamped over his mouth to prevent an onset of frightened whimpers from protruding past the door's protection.

"I think not! He is still resting and I will not have you barge in there and ask your silly questions!" Mrs. Fair exclaimed.

"They aren't silly! You'll see, once I'm done with him, all of our questions will be answered and we can get him out of our village and on with our lives!" Jason argued, the sound of his voice growing closer to the door.

"Don't even touch that doorknob or so help me I will-" Zack threatened with a growl in his voice.

"Zack, stop. I told you before, I will handle this." Mrs. Fair chided harshly before speaking again. "Jason, the child is resting, I would prefer you to stay out of the room and leave him be."

"Oh, you're _defending_ him now? He's an _outsider!_ Since when did Gongagans betray their villagers for the sake of a wandering catastrophe?"

Cloud was scared, offended, and guilt ridden. He backed away from the door as fast as his injured frame would let him and crashed against the floor with a soft _thump_ against the carpet. His hands curled around his head as his fingers tugged at small strands of stray spikes. People he barely even knew were defending him even though he _was_ the one responsible for the earthquake and damage to the Reactor. What could he do now? It was only a matter of time until everyone found out the truth and kicked him out or whatever it was they would do to him!

"I would suggest getting a move on." Beta spoke up with his usual boisterous and strong voice.

"H-huh?" Cloud whimpered out, hearing the middle voice, but not _really_ hearing him speak up.

"If you're getting too freaked out, just get your stuff and leave the village. We've probably lost a good chunk of travel time after you blacked out any ways." The former Hero explained.

"Okay..." The blonde responded as he gently eased himself off the floor and back on his own two feet again.

He limped back over to the bed and reclaimed his satchel from the floor before walking towards the dresser and picking up his folded and older sets of clothes as well. He undid the flap of the bag and stuffed the clothes inside before resealing it. He did a double take at the bedroom door. He couldn't leave through there, that was way too risky. Not to mention Jason and everyone else were probably still in the living room or something.

"Try the window." Beta suggested.

Cloud did exactly that. With staggering steps, he approached the window. There were no curtains or blinds in front of it to hinder his escape. He got a solid grip near the base of the window and used all of strength to push up the pane. It slid up smoothly and with a gentle hum. Hot summer air greeted his face as the cool breeze in the room took flight outside into freedom. He tossed his bag out the open window so it would not slow him down, the satchel hitting the grassy ground just a few feet below the window.

The blonde put his right leg out first, wincing as he had to put all his weight on his injured leg in order to slip out of the house undetected. He ducked his head down and popped it back up outside where copious amounts of sun greeted his ghostly pale skin and made his wheat blonde hair shine like yellow fire in the mid-afternoon light. He then shifted his weight and leaned off the windowsill and down to solid ground on his good leg, taking the weight off his bad one. After that, it was just the simple task of bringing his other leg down and under him.

He hitched his satchel over his shoulder and adjusted it where it rested comfortably against him. The blonde then took the opened window and pushed it back down, not closing it all the way and leaving a small crack. Inconspicuous to the naked eye. With that, he made sure to be careful and avoid any eyes of the villagers as he limped around the back of the house and further out of the village square.

If he stayed, it would only mean bad things for him further down the road. Not only that, but Beta had a point. They had already burned enough daylight and they didn't need to be burning any more of it. Due to the sun's high position in the sky, it made the air hotter and the humidity more sticky and moist like it had been in the Cosmo valleys. Cloud couldn't wait until summer was over. He never liked the heat anyways. He preferred the biting cold over the sweltering heat any given day.

He had only walked to the edge of the village square before his leg began to pulse and flare with a new onslaught of pain with every step he took. His left hand rested over his leg as if that could magically ebb the pain and will it away. He probably hadn't rested it enough yet, but he couldn't risk staying here when one of the villagers was already on to his trail and the truth following him like bread crumbs. He still had Titan's Materia on him as well, so there was the proof to link him to the crime.

If only he hadn't gotten caught on that skeleton tree, he could have just drank a potion and went on his merry way after taking out the reactor. However, life wasn't that simple and always enjoyed throwing hurdles and obstacles in the blonde's path. He remembered Gamma saying that this was the price of being Gaia's savior right after he was driven out of his village. Now he was starting to see what his youngest persona meant.

By the time he made it to the outskirts of the village and closer to the treacherous jungle that took away his vials and turned him into a mutant frog, his leg was burning and flaring something intense. Every step, every movement, every twitch, twist, or turn had shock-waves of fiery burning pain encroaching his leg and swarming around the bandages like the uncomfortable summer heat was doing to his skin. Just before entering the jungle, his leg gave out underneath his weight and sent him crashing to the dirt-laden ground below him.

He curled his hands into fists tightly, pulling up some loose dirt in his tight grasp. He made move to get back up, but only found that even moving his wounded leg a minuscule amount caused intense pain as if he was being stabbed with a searing hot blade as the hot metal was twisted over and over again in the same spot. He felt a warm and sticky kind of moisture clinging to the bandages where the deep gash on his calf was. He didn't know what that was about, probably sweat seeping into the clotting wound.

"Cloud, I'm not sure why you're trying to leave, but I would hold off on it for now." Gamma gently spoke up with his usual bright and wispy voice.

"But I have to get going. We've already wasted lots of time here." The blonde explained to his youngest persona as he tried to move his leg again.

"While that may be true, you are still in no shape to be walking around right now. You needed to rest just a little bit longer."

My leg is fine, it just hurts because I'm putting too much weight on it is all. Once this pain goes away, I'll be fine and we can get going."

"Please listen. With all this exertion and summer heat, there's a possibility your leg has become infected, hence the excruciating pain and sticky moisture. If anything, just spend a few more hours in the shade before going anywhere if you simply _must_ leave now." Gamma insisted, trying his best to look out for the ornery child's well-being.

"Okaaay, I just don't know what Alpha and Beta are gonna think of that though." Cloud drawled as he released the dirt still clutched in his fists.

"If they care at all about your health and well-being like I do, they will not press the issue of moving on."

"Hmm, you know, I really _do_ like you better than Alpha or Beta." Cloud hummed as a tiny smile fluttered across his lips.

The blonde then rolled over on his back and sat up, not liking to be belly-down in the dirt any longer than he had to be. He winced and moaned a little when his wound flared in defiance from his movement. His dirt-coated fingers gently squeezed the slackening bandages wrapped around his calf. If only his reflexes had been faster, he could have avoided that piece of shrapnel that cut him smoothly like a knife through warmed butter.

Cloud planned to wait it out for a few hours beneath the shade of a tall palm tree near the outskirts of the village, he really did. However, fate decided to tangle itself even more with his injury and current inability to walk. Coming from the center of the village was none other than Zack. He was looking all around him with his hands on his hips as he looked to his left and right. From the thirty meter distance, it was hard to see the expression on his face. He walked slow, searching in just about every direction he could.

A part of Cloud wanted to run up to him and never leave his side. There was a feeling deep within the eleven-year-old that he did not understand, but it was a strong feeling in his gut and chest. He felt so safe around the ravenette, like he could tell him everything that was going on and he'd just believe him like that. He had a familiar air about him, a friendly aura that drew in just about any reserved piece of the child.

However, due to the lack of his memories of the older man, that part in him was small, minuscule and nearly non-existent. The rest of him reacted as any child that had just snuck out of home would: Scared and paranoid. He went to scoot away, to curl up and hide himself, but was stopped by the searing pain his wound was radiating. His hands squeezed the accursed wound tighter as his wide eyes never left the sight of the ravenette, hoping to the gods above that he wouldn't be spotted.

However, lilac eyes met with cerulean blue. Zack quickly began to sprint towards the blonde's location, nestled against a tall palm tree near the edge of the jungle. He could only watch wordlessly as the older boy slid down a small hill, hopped over a few fallen tree branches, and hurried over to him quick and nimble like a predator hunting unaware prey. The ravenette stopped in front of him and took a knee, resting against the ground in front of the blonde, who just stared up at him with big and relatively frightened eyes.

"What are you doing all the way out here, kiddo?" Zack asked as he took notice of his bag crammed full of his things.

He was answered with silence and a 'deer caught in the headlights' expression on his face as if he had just been scolded for something.

"You weren't planning on leaving with that nasty leg wound still bothering you, were you?" he questioned light-heartedly with an arched brow, figuring out that's exactly what the child was going to do.

"Mmm..." Cloud hummed uneasily as he broke eye contact with the ravenette to look down at the ground.

"Okay-" Zack began before plopping against the ground, sitting crisscross against it as he was able to get the blonde to look at him. "-You wanna tell me _why_ you ran away from the house?" He asked as he folded his arms in his lap as he looked at the child dead-on.

That small piece inside Cloud surged strong in his chest and gut. That piece of him that told the rest of his mind and body that he could trust the ravenette. The few glimpses and visions he had seen of the teen reassured his mind that his other personas knew him and trusted him without a doubt. If they could, then he probably could as well. He knew he couldn't relay _all_ of the information on why he ran, but he could at least supply the older boy with a reason for his fight-or-flight behavior.

"...I overheard you guys talking earlier, 'bout the explosion." Cloud spoke up after an elongated pause of patient silence.

"Ooooh, okay. So you _were_ awake around that time. I had a gut feeling that you might be up, but I was too busy trying to keep Jason out of my room so he wouldn't bother you with his questions." Zack responded with a bright smile. However, that smile quickly fell and slipped into confusion. "Why did you run away though?" He asked.

"I... He scared me. He says that I made the Reactor explode and he sounded like he was really sure I did it..." ' _yeah, I did make the Reactor explode and he has every right to be angered that no one believes him over me.'_

"Ah, don't let him get to you, kiddo. Jason's the kind of guy that would try to get you to believe in the boogey-man if he thought it was real. Besides, I don't believe that you did it." Zack assured with a lazy wave of his left hand.

Cloud met his gaze head on after hearing that. "You don't think I did it?" He asked in a dumfounded manner.

"Nah. There's just, something about you. I'm not sure what it is, but it's telling me that it's not your fault and that I should trust you, weird, huh?" The ravenette expressed with a puzzled smile, unsure of why something was telling him to trust the boy.

The blonde just blankly stared at the older boy. Did his personas have so much of an influence on him in their past lives and vice versa that there was just some unseen connection between all of them that made them feel this way?

Regardless of how, there was undeniable trust and reassurance nestled deep within them. Like a hidden connection to the other, tied together by unseen fate. It was strong, like a pull. That small piece of Cloud that wanted to stand by the ravenette was only strengthened when around the older boy. He couldn't help but wonder if he had the same feeling as well.

Another stab of pain from his wounded calf snapped the blonde out of his musings lightning fast. His hands that were curled around the wound were no longer providing any dulling or ebbing of the nagging fiery burn. When his face scrunched up in discomfort, the ravenette was all eyes and ears. His larger hands gently traced one of the loose wrappings of the bandage as if trying to get a peek.

"If you can, prop your leg against my lap, okay, kiddo?" Zack directed as his hands gently patted the open space of his lap.

Cloud gently eased his affected leg up as the older boy gently took it by his ankle and rested it against his folded and clothed legs. He gently repositioned the blonde's leg so the back of his calf was not facing down. With careful and nimble fingers, he loosened the wrapping near the top in order to get a quick glance at the condition of the first aid. Through one of the larger gaps in the tan cloth, the raventte could see a yellowy-white secretion oozing from the back of his calf and he just knew it was puss.

"Okay, I'm not sure where you were trying to mosey off to, but you certainly won't be doing any leaving for a cool minute. Your leg has gotten pretty bad, buddy. It's infected for sure. But don't worry, me and my ma are gonna fix you up just fine." Zack deduced as he gently patted the younger child's kneecap in a comforting manner.

Cloud's eyes broke away from the older boy and found interest in staring at the dirt he was sitting in. There was no way he could leave now, not with that kind of diagnosis. He liked the quaintness of the village and the serenity here, but with Jason around and stirring things up for him, the blonde really didn't want to go back to the village square. However, he had absolutely no say so in the matter as soon as he felt the ravenette move and shift him. He soon found himself draped over his back with his weight being supported at the backs of his knees.

"Kay, hold tight." Zack directed before he started to walk back to the village.

Cloud did as he was told and wrapped his arms around the older boy's neck, having to duck his head down as he was being lead back into the village. He didn't know what to do about the heat on his back because of Jason's scrutiny and he didn't know what to do when it came to further progressing on with his journey. For now, he needed to heed Gamma's advice and take it easy for at least a few more hours before setting off again. He hadn't heard any protests or complaints from Alpha or Beta, so he was sure he was in the clear for the time being.

What had once been afternoon was slowly beginning to sink into early evening. Most of the blue in the sky was now replaced by gentle yellows and light oranges near the horizon line while what was left of the blue was beginning to darken into more of a lilac or violet color, resembling a tequila sunrise draining into an aqua punch. A large portion of time had been wasted with his leg wound and unconsciousness and they were sure to have fallen behind schedule.

He kept his head ducked down until he heard the sound of a door being gently popped open with an elongated squeal. He gently lifted his eyes and glanced around to scope out his surroundings. The house was small and quaint, but cozy and held a comforting aura. The blonde figured he was back in Zack's home again. He hadn't really been able to assess the living room or any other room in the home, so he let the earthy tones seep through his eyes of sky blue.

"Zack, is that you?" The voice of Mrs. Fair called from the kitchen.

"Yeah, it's me. I was able to find the little scoundrel near the village outskirts." He called back as he further entered the living room.

He gently deposited Cloud on the large pine green couch, adjusting his frame where he could lean his back against the arm rest while keeping his infected leg elevated and stretched out in front of him. Zack's mother than appeared from the small kitchen, her jet black hair pulled into a loose braid and draped over her right shoulder while her honey-gold eyes shimmered in the soft natural lighting the windows provided.

"Well, now that he's up, I think he can finally tell us his name. We can't keep calling him 'kiddo'." She spoke with a soft lilting giggle that reminded the blonde of the way his own mother laughed.

She made her way across the living room, circled around the couch and took a seat on an unoccupied portion of the furniture. Her eyes were kind as she looked at him and her small smile was soft. Zack draped himself over the back of the couch, folding his arms over the plush fabric and nestling his chin into his arms. His lilac eyes gazed at him too with a soft glimmer of curiosity sparkling brighter than stars.

"I'm Cloud." He responded with a soft nod, only flinching when his body gently moved even in the slightest.

"Does your leg still hurt, sweetheart?" Mrs. Fair asked in a comforting manner as her delicate fingers gently traced over the slackening bandages.

"Oh yeah, turns out his leg has an infection or somethin'. There's puss comin' out of it and everything! Kinda reminds me of an egg yolk." Zack explained, pulling his face away from his arms as he glanced over at his mother.

Cloud found himself cringing and getting even more worried about his condition than before. He whimpered softly and caught the attention of the two raven-haired counterparts. His mother sent a reprimanding glare towards her son while her right hand poised itself on her hip in a motherly fashion.

"Oops, sorry Cloudy, I didn't mean to freak you out." Zack sheepishly apologized as his right hand rubbed the back of his head, ruffling up his haphazard hair-style.

"...Am I gonna die?" Cloud asked in a little voice as his face flushed an irritated red as if he had been slapped.

"No, no, no. You're not going to die. You're going to be just fine, I'll make sure of that." Mrs. Fair responded with a soft smile.

"Just don't let her do to you what she did to me when _I_ had an infection!" Zack joked with a big grin flashing across his tanned face.

"Zackary Kalem." His mother warned with a narrowed glare in her honey colored eyes, using the old ' _I've already said your middle name and if I have to say your full name you're in big trouble'_.

"What? You let me itch for a whole day before you did anything!"

"Because you went stomping off in the jungle where all the poison ivy was when I told you specifically _not_ to go there! I had to make sure you learned your lesson." She explained with an arched brow.

Cloud found most of his earlier paranoia of his condition slipping away as he laughed at the bickering tale between mother and son. When he laughed, he noticed small grins tugging at the corners of both Zack's and his mother's mouths even as they continued to play-bicker with the other to keep the little one in their company happy.

When the front door swung open with that squeaky groan, that smile all but fled from his face and was replaced with anxious fear. He twisted his upper body to glance behind him and survey who had just entered. The black-haired man was tall and broad. His piercing violet eyes were sharp and his pupils were pinpoints. His facial features were sharp and defined: predominant jaw line, sharp cheekbones and a slender face that fit his build.

"Heya, Dad!" Zack greeted with a jovial smile.

It was then blatantly obvious where Zack had gotten his physical build, for the man standing by the front door with sharp eyes was in very good physical shape. Thick muscles and a broad torso only helped to further intimidate Cloud, not to mention that he was probably towering at about six-foot-two. He quickly turned his eyes away and looked down at his lap in a hurry as he felt his face flush and his blood run cold.

"So, we're letting the outsider into our home?" He asked with a deep baritone voice as a raven's black brow arched slightly as he made his way further into the house and into the living room.

"You didn't let Jason talk you into believing Cloud blew up the reactor, did you?" Zack quickly asked as he pulled away from the back of the couch.

"I have not encountered Jason today. I received word of an outsider from the other villagers I happened to see today. It seems out town is in an even divide in their opinions. Half of them side with the thought the child is the cause of the Reactor and the other half think the little one had nothing to do with it." The burly man responded as he stepped up to his own flesh and blood.

"Where do you stand on that spectrum, Whyatt?" Mrs. Fair spoke up gently as she met his gaze with her own.

"I do not side with either thought. I am not for him, but I am not against him." He responded as he circled around the couch.

Cloud's frightened eyes locked with Whyatt's, cerulean clashing with violet. The bigger man gently crouched on the ground in front of the space of the couch that the blonde was currently occupying. His firm face gently softened as he took a gander at the young one's current condition and poorly administered first aid treatment.

"I had also received word that he had been injured in the Reactor's malfunction." He spoke as a soft smile gently graced his lips and softened his sharp facial features. He seemed less intimidating all of a sudden and more fatherly.

"While he is an outsider, I cannot simply stand by and leave a wounded child untreated." He explained, his voice sounding like it was directed to his own family even though his eyes never broke away from Cloud's even after speaking.

His large hands reached up and skimmed the surface of the ever loosening bandages. Cloud remained still as the man observed the condition of his leg. He must retain more medical knowledge than the rest of his family. Whyatt then proceeded to unravel the bandages around his leg, pausing and remaining stationary when he hissed in pain or made a cracked whimper from behind closed lips. When the old wrappings had been removed, the older man exhaled harshly through his nose.

"His leg is infected without a doubt. If we're lucky I should still have some antibiotics back in my office." He explained.

"Oh, you mean in the clinic right? I can get them!" Zack spoke up as he leaned over the back of the couch again as he spoke to his father.

"All right, they should be in my desk, bottom drawer on the left side. I've already locked up for the day so take the key." Whyatt directed as he fished out the key to unlock the front door from his pocket and held it out in his left hand for his son to take.

"Gotcha!" Zack responded with a bounce as he took the key from his father and pulled away from the back of the couch.

As he began to walk towards the front door with a jaunty bounce in his step, Cloud felt his stomach drop while the acid inside felt more like large stones weighing it down. His butterflies flew out of his stomach and swarmed all around his heart, making each beat feel constricting and suffocating as he struggled to remember how to breath normally instead of frantically. He didn't want him to leave just yet, he didn't want to be left with unfamiliar people he didn't have that strange connection with.

"-Wait!" Cloud cried as he all but whirled around and reached out with his right hand, regardless of the stinging in his leg that accompanied the movement and his infection.

Zack's ears picked up on the cry as soon as his hand touched the doorknob. He gently spun on his heel to look behind him as he kept his right hand on the brass knob. "What's up, kiddo?" He asked with a gentle grin.

Cloud then realized he had exclaimed for the older teen to wait out loud instead of internally like he had thought. He gently pulled his hand back when he took notice of his hand still stretched out into the empty air in front of him. He swallowed thickly as he felt all eyes on him.

"Please don't go." He spoke in his gentle alto voice before he quickly looked down as he felt his face flush with radiant heat.

"Don't be so scared, Cloudy. I'm only going to be gone for a few minutes. I'll come running back here, I promise." Zack explained with a genuine smile that make his eyes shine.

"...Okay." Cloud responded as he gently turned back around and eased himself down into a more comfortable position for his leg.

He heard the door swing open quickly and close just as fast. He trained his ears to listen to the fast padding of Zack running away from the house and to the clinic until he could hear those steps no more. Whyatt continued his work with the bandages, unraveling them and taking them off and away from his leg. He balled up the aged fabric and set it down next to him for the time being. His sharp eyes inspected the festering wound for a few more moments before deciding what to do next.

"I'll be back." He explained simply as he rose from the wood floor beneath him. With that, he made his way out of the living room and down a hallway where he disappeared from sight.

Cloud was then left alone with Zack's mother, who continued to sit across from him on the large couch. She looked at him with a motherly smile on her face and gently patted his uninjured leg with her slender right hand. He let her know the gesture was appreciated with a small grin of his own. He was still a tad bit shy when it came to people he didn't know all that well. He had always been a bit awkward in social situations unless it was with people he knew on a personal level.

It didn't take long for Whyatt to return with a few supplies nestled in his hands or bunched up against his chest and secured in place with his arms. He deposited the items on to the coffee table in front of the couch before resuming his former position sitting on his knees on the living room floor in front of Cloud. He grabbed a small white towel and uncapped a brown bottle of hydrogen peroxide before pouring a small amount of the liquid chemical into the washrag.

"This will burn and sting upon application, but it will cleanse and disinfect your wound." Whyatt explained as his eyes connected with the blonde's.

"...Okay." Cloud responded uneasily, not liking when anything could cause him pain or discomfort.

The older man rest the cloth against his affected leg and held it there with a firm hand. At first, the liquid was cold against his skin and bubbled slightly, making it tickle a bit. Then it started growing very warm as it continued to bubble. That's when it started to burn, then an intense round of stinging assaulted his infected wound. He let out a yelp of pain and writhed from the uncomfortable pain in his leg, but the large hand clasped over his leg kept him from wiggling or wrenching it away.

The cloth gently rubbed the irritated skin to further cleanse the injury and spread the peroxide around. Once the burning and stinging began to dull, the rag was pulled away and applied with another layer.

"I thought we were done!" Cloud cried as that rag drew close to his leg again. To protect it from more burning and pain, he shielded the area with his hands, cupping them around the irritated skin.

"I need to put a few layers on to ensure that I've deeply cleaned it up to prevent it from pussing and festering further." Whyatt explained.

"I don't want any more!" Cloud whined as he shook his head quickly, his bright blue eyes beginning to swell with future tears.

"Do you want your leg to get so infected that if left the way it is it will have to be cut off?" Whyatt asked as he arched a brow as he patiently waited for the blonde to cooperate.

"...No." Cloud mumbled as he reluctantly pulled his hands away and curled them around his middle loosely.

The older man nodded and gently held the rag against his irritated flesh. The bubbles and cold started up and the burning and stinging followed suit shortly after. Cloud wanted to do nothing more than pull his leg away, fight to the death with that cursed rag and cry his eyes out because of this stupid pain. However, he sat still, having to wiggle when that stinging was a bit too much for him. He kept his yelps to a minimum and only whined and wriggled when it was a bit too much to handle.

When layer two was said and done, layer three popped by for a visit. It didn't sting as bad as the first two applications of bubbling cleansing chemical, but it still left a nagging burning in its wake. By layer five, even the burning was down to just a nagging itchy feeling against his skin. He even stopped squirming and whining by this point. He didn't understand why five thin layers had to be applied. He figure he would be fine with just the one.

After the peroxide finished its necessary job, the wound was then gently cleaned with standard soap and water. The soap didn't even sting and the water provided a cooling kind of relief to the burning area. After that, a small amount of medicinal ointment was applied to the cooling patch of angry red skin to further speed up the mending and healing process. Afterwards, a fresh layer of bandages were wrapped around his leg and tucked in to secure the area.

"You're very lucky you don't need any stitching. Otherwise those peroxide layers would have stung a whole lot more than they did. Just take it easy for now." Whyatt explained with a gentle pat to the blonde's kneecap.

By the time his external medical care had been administered, the front door swung open quickly and shut just as fast, the wood gently slamming into place as the dead bolt was locked to keep the door secured from outside forces. Zack appeared back in view with two sandwich bags stuffed full of pill bottles in either hand. He leaned over the back of the couch and handed the bags to his father before speaking.

"You had two kinds of antibiotics in your drawer and I didn't know which was which, so I just brought both." He explained with a big grin. His face was gently flourished a pink color from his escapade to the village clinic and back.

"Thank you, Zackary." Whyatt spoke as he looked over each bag and the contents inside each one.

"See, I told you I'd be back in a jiffy!" Zack spoke towards Cloud with a large smile consuming his face gently. He then looked over the medical job his father performed on the child and his smile grew. "I knew Dad would take good care of you. He may look a little intimidating, but he's a pretty cool guy." He added as his hand ruffled blonde spikes just below him.

Whyatt pulled one of the bottles out of the bag on his right and looked over the information labeled on the front of the bottle. It was a standard thirty milligram penicillin supplement. Since the blonde was only a child, he'd have to take a smaller amount to prevent subsequent liver damage or possible overdose. Since his infection wasn't as bad as he had seen before, he'd only have to take about a week's worth, two at the most.

"I'm going to have you break these capsules in half, only take a half once every day for the next two weeks. If you see improvement in the first week, you may wean off of the medication early. You'll have to change your bandages at least two times a day. If you follow this regimen properly, your leg should be healed relatively quickly." Whyatt explained as he handed the pill bottle to Cloud.

"Okay." He responded gently as he took the offered plastic bottle of antibiotics.

"Well then, I think it's about time to get some supper started, you'll be joining us of course, Cloud." Mrs. Fair spoke with a smile as she rose from the couch.

At that notion, the blonde's stomach growled. He hadn't eaten since he camped out after leaving Cosmo Canyon. A nice and fresh mean sounded very satisfying. It beat rations and cereal bars any day of the week, hands down. A smile tugged at the corners of Cloud's lips at the thought and at the kindness Zack and his family were showing him. He couldn't believe nice people like them really existed after spending so much time hated and belittled.

He hoped to run into more people like this on his journey.

* * *

A/N:And that's where I'll be ending this chapter for now! In the next one, we'll be finishing up the events in Gongaga and moving on! Whoot! :D I would have had this chapter out sooner, but it took me two or three weeks to think out and I even got so stuck I had to ask my Beta for some assistance, which really helped me out! Then it took forever and a day to actually write it out and finish it! But it's done and all that jazz!

So, let me know what you guys thought of the chapter okay? And a super special shout out to my Beta reader, Ocena Strex! Thanks for all your help! :)

With that, I'm out, and I'll see you all in the next chapter!

Toodles!  
~Zimithrus1


	8. Fight or Flight

Hello everyone, and welcome to chapter eight of Tsudzukeru! I suffered _another_ case of writer's block once again and had to rely on my ever patient Beta to help me out! Not only that, but I've been super stressed as of late. But on the bright side, I do believe the writer's block will be gone for a _long_ time, because I have from here to chapter 14 all planned out with a brainstorm for each chapter written! Huzzah! Anyways, enjoy chappie eight! :)

~8: Fight or Flight~

* * *

Cloud couldn't remember the last time he had home cooking that tasted so good! After eating rations and cereal bars, an actual meal was well deserved. He had already devoured his first plate of spaghetti and was now helping himself to his second serving. Across the dinner table, Zack was eyeing him competitively, working on his second plate himself. Not that Cloud minded, it was fun seeing who could eat the most before popping.

He enjoyed the taste of spaghetti, but _this_ spaghetti dinner topped them all. There were so many different tastes and flavors within the sauce itself. Mrs. Fair told him all of the ingredients that were in it: Chili powder, cinnamon, clove, oregano, and traces of smaller ingredients that the blonde child couldn't even pronounce. The sauce wasn't even tomato based, it was the chili powder that really made the sauce. It was different, unique, and even plain weird. But it was just so _good_.

Buttered and toasted sourdough bread with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top complemented the pasta meal for the night. A glass of either water or some specially imported juice called 'Banora White' sat behind each plate depending on the choice. Even though his stomach was swelling with all of the food he was shoveling into it, his mouth -and tastebuds included- it demanded more of the delicious meal.

Whyatt observed the two boys competitive eating with a gruff chuckle here and there as he ate his own food, while Mrs. Fair chided her own boy about cramming a couple of times as she ate and even instructed Cloud to sit up straight a few times. The two continued to shovel down their food as if it would be the last meal they would ever eat in their lives again, soon arriving to their third plate of pasta and not backing down.

However, after his two and a half plates, Cloud finally ducked out. He gently pushed his plate away and leaned into the back of his chair. He couldn't ever recall a time where he had ever ingested that much food before. After plate three was finished, Zack called it quits as well as he gently nudged his own plate away like the blonde child had done before him.

"Thanks for another awesome dinner, Ma!" Zack thanked once he had cleared his mouth.

"You're welcome." She responded with a soft smile.

"Oh! Um, thank you, Mrs. Fair." Cloud quickly thanked, not wanting to be impolite.

"Please, call me Sophia if you have to call me anything." She replied back with a gentle laugh following her response.

"Okay." Cloud spoke softly with a small pink blush flourishing behind his cheeks.

"Zack, please help me clear the dishes tonight." Sophia directed to her thirteen-year-old as she gathered her plate up as well as her husband's.

"Sure." He responded, helping his mother gather everything that needed to be washed before following her into the kitchen.

"Oh, do I need to help too?" Cloud quickly asked, not wanting to just get a free meal and take advantage of their hospitality without doing anything in return.

"I have something else in mind for you." Sophia stated as she gently looked behind her from her spot by the kitchen spoke, making sure to carry her voice so she would be heard. Her eyes then glanced to Whyatt, giving him some kind of all knowing look. "Could you help him with it, dear?" She added with a smile sweeter than sugar.

"Certainly." He responded in his deep voice with a sharp nod of his head.

He stood up from his chair, making sure to push it in before easing away from the dining table. He rounded the corner and approached the blonde still sitting in his chair. Now, Cloud wasn't going to lie, Whyatt still intimidated him terribly. He had never seen such a tall and powerful looking man before in his whole life! He had seen short and squatty before, but not big and tall, so to speak. However, he was surprised when the raven-haired man leaned in and picked him up, making sure to mind his wounded leg.

Cloud was even more surprised to see and feel how gentle his hold was on him. He reminded the blonde of a gentle giant. He remained in stunned silence as he was carried back to the couch and laid back down on its soft surface. He was not used to being around a fatherly figure before, it was an all new experiance for him. He never remembered his own father, and the rest of the adult males in Nibelheim always treated him rather poorly. It was awkward to say the least, but it was so in the good kind. The eleven-year-old's face contorted to confusion as he glanced back up at Whyatt. How was this helping with dinner?

"Your job is to recover, now wait here." The raven-haired man directed before circling around the couch and down into an ever darkening hallway.

Cloud's eyes went directly to staring out the window when he realized just how dark it was inside. The setting sun was all but gone down, late dusk left in its wake. Crickets began their nightly chirping to lull the world to sleep in a gentle fashion. From what he could see of the sky, it contained a deep purple hue with streaks of amethyst and deep violet splashed across the ever blackening canvas. There were only a few garden lamps out to provide a bit of light at night.

But the most beautiful thing about the sky was the copious amounts of stars that decorated the purple blanket. Each shined in its own way, each was brighter or dimmer than the one next to it. It was like the sky was alight with twinkling diamonds and opals. The full moon hung low in the sky, filling up the empty spaces of the atmosphere above. He had never seen such a beautiful sky.

"You just can't beat the view out here, huh?" The voice of Zack spoke up suddenly.

Cloud snapped out of his revere and glanced behind him to see the older teen draped over the back of the couch with a soft grin on his tanned face, arms comfortably crossed together as his chin rested in the space between. Either he was just a super fast dishwasher, or Cloud had spaced out longer than he thought he had.

"Did you ever get a view of the sky like this back in Nibelheim?" He asked as he looked down at the blonde resting against the couch.

"Sometimes. The mountains usually got in the way and we always had snow clouds in the sky. It was rare to ever see the night time so clear." Cloud responded as he glanced back to the window.

A funny feeling made his chest feel like it was swelling. All of a sudden his throat tightened and stung with each breath or swallow. Picturing himself looking out the window back home on sleepless nights with his mother right beside him, he didn't know if it was a good kind of reminiscing or the bad kind. He missed home, no matter how badly he was treated it was still the place he was born and raised. He missed his mother, her smell of cinnamon pinecones and her musical giggles. The way she would run her fingers through his hair when he had bad dreams. He missed everything back home now that he was so far away.

He pulled back a thick sniffle and broke his eyes away from the clear view of the sky and looked down at his lap. He balled the fabric of his shorts into his fists, crinkling the material with ease. Why did he have to go _now_? Sure, he had always thought about leaving one day to join the ranks of SOLDIER, but he didn't know he'd have to go so soon. He was only eleven, he was still only a child at the end of the day. Just a child with too many voices and not enough him to go around.

"You miss home, don't you?" Zack asked with a sympathetic voice as he pulled his face from behind the shield of his arms and leaned in a little closer to the blonde.

"Yeah..." Cloud responded, his voice thick and watery as he sniffed again.

So far, this was the second time he really missed home and thought about going back so desperately. Would he ever _stop_ thinking about home and missing it too? Only time would tell, but the child didn't have enough patience to let time do the healing it needed to do. He wasn't strong like most boys his age. Every day that he woke up in a new place and grieved about leaving home was just a constant reminder of how soft he really was. But then again, shouldn't he still be soft due to his age?

"If you miss home, why did you leave in the first place?" Zack asked curiously, violet eyes shrouded in concern.

 _"That boy is a freak!"_

 _"Humans don't have wings! Monsters like the one he called up do!"_

 _"He's a monster-!"_

 _"-Kill him."_

 _"Please, Cloud! Get out of this village right now! I don't want you dead!"_

He made no sound, he did not move, he kept his head down and he was barely breathing. Tears cascaded down his cheeks without noise or sound. The memories played through his head like an old film movie playing on a projector. He could hear the metaphorical clicking of the reel, the end of the tape slapping around wildly as the reel continued to spin, the memories on repeat.

Without feeling his body move, his arms hugged his mid-section tightly as he continued to noiselessly cry. He didn't look up, even though he heard Zack quickly circle the couch to stand on the other side. He heard him crouching down to meet him in the eyes. He even felt the arms engulf him into an understanding embrace. But he still continued to look down and silently cry. It was almost like being completely numb. It was only when the ravenette started to speak that those memories finally stopped playing.

"Ohh, I'm sorry, Cloud. I didn't mean to upset you!" Zack apologized, keeping the blonde wrapped up in the swarming hug he was being given.

"It wasn't my fault... It wasn't my fault... I-I just did what I was told." Cloud muttered, gently shaking his head as he closed his eyes, feeling the hot moisture of his tears squeeze past his eyelids and trickle down his face. He could see the angry faces of the villagers, the fear in his mother's eyes. He could feel his own anger directed towards Alpha, Beta, and Gamma, all three of his voices.

When he heard Zack apologize once more, he opened his eyes back up as he realized that was all behind him now. It wasn't happening right now and it was all said and done. The teen's one little question sent him through a loop and then some. All because he was missing home through a window with a clear sky in a village one hundred miles away.

"S'okay. I just had to leave. If I had stayed…" Cloud paused to shake his head softly even while in the embrace. "…it would have been game over, I guess." He finished as he felt the raven-haired teen break away.

"So, you forgive me for asking such a touchy question?" Zack sheepishly asked with slightly shimmering lilac eyes. To seal the deal, he cocked his head to the right and held his hands up to his face as if he was in prayer.

"Yeah." Cloud responded with a soft smile that was able to reach his eyes. While he may be missing home and his mother, he had good company to make up for it.

"Good!" Zack chirped as his hand playfully ruffled the blonde spikes beside him, earning some giggles from the little one.

Around this time, Whyatt finally returned from the hallway with a small fleece blanket and a quilt wrapped up in his right arm, accompanied by two small pillows in his left. "Now that you've eaten, you should get some sleep to recover faster." He spoke as he stood in front of the couch beside his own son, before glancing to his practical counterpart.

"Here, make yourself useful." He playfully jeered as he threw the pillows at Zack, one of them hitting him in the chest and the other in the face.

"Who says I'm not useful?!" He questioned with a big grin on his face as he smacked his father with the same pillow that had been thrown at his face.

"Just prop his head and leg up, will you?" Whyatt spoke, his inquiry sounding more like a command as he ignored his son's playful outburst.

Zack rolled his eyes and couldn't help but smile when he looked back towards Cloud to see him with a large smile on his face as he tried to hold back some soft giggles. He laid one of the pillows against the arm rest of the chair and directed the child to lay down and get nice and cozy. The blonde did as he was told and made sure he was snug, doing his best to not move his wounded leg too much. It still stung when he moved it abruptly. The first-aid he was given was really helping the recovery process.

He could honestly say he was much less intimidated by Whyatt now, seeing him act so playful with his own son helped with the nervousness from earlier. It made him think for a moment, wishing he had just been able to remember his own father. Maybe he treated him with kindess and love before he had died so far away and so long ago. His mother had told him how his father used to be, but that was all he ever heard of the mysterious man and nothing more.

The other pillow was gently stuffed under his injured leg to keep it slightly elevated as he slept. It did sting and burn to try and lift it up, but the action was done very quickly to minimize his discomfort. Once he was completely settled, Whyatt unfolded the blankets with a quick whip, the material flinging small specks of dust throughout the air. He rested the quilt against the little one first, then followed with the fleece throw. He knelt down and allowed his fatherly side to show as he tucked the blonde in a little bit.

He found himself wishing very much that he could have remembered his own father. It almost made him sad to think about the fact that he just _didn't_ know him or what he was like. Maybe someday he'd be able to find out just the kind of man he had been, he _did_ work for Shin-Ra after all, maybe someone knew him? He quickly pulled himself away from his inner musings and turned to look at Whyatt.

"Thank you." Cloud said, being able to feel and act like the age he was supposed to be.

"No problem. Now, as for you, Zack. You should probably be heading to bed soon too." Whyatt directed.

" _Whaa-?_ Dad, it's only nine-thirty! It's still early!" The teenager protested with a whiny cry.

"My house, my rules, I decide the bedtimes around here. You're thirteen, not thirty." The older ravenette responded with a smirk.

" _Fiiine-!"_ Zack drawled. Before he could be sentenced to bed, he turned towards Cloud. "G'night, Kiddo." He said with a smile.

"Good night, Zack." Cloud replied as he readjusted the covers around his shoulders.

With that, the ravenette briskly walked off to head to bed himself. Whyatt gave the blonde a little smirk before giving him a good night as well. Before the light in the living room was turned off, Sophia said her good nights as well and wished him pleasant dreams. When the light was off and gentle silence greeted his ears, Cloud gently smirked before closing his eyes to drift off for the night.

* * *

 _Knock! Knock! Knock!_

That was the first sound Cloud heard that woke him up from his deep sleep. He slowly pried his heavy eyelids open, having to rub them furiously when they refused to fully part. He sat up gently -careful to mind the slight sting to his leg- and turned his body to look behind him as a sleepy yawn fell out of his mouth. He heard shuffling coming from the hallway and he turned back around to see who was about to answer the door.

Sophia briskly cut across the living room only half dressed in her pajamas. She was still wearing jeans but her long black hair was down and her shirt was very large on her and probably belonged to her husband. The knocking must have interrupted her like it had done the blonde. Her bare feet padded across the wood floor, pausing when she stopped beside the couch. She looked back at the little one gazing at her with confusion drowned heavily in grogginess.

"Go back to sleep, I'll see what the fuss is about." She sweetly directed with a little smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

She pulled away from the couch and scurried towards the front door, placing her hand on the knob and giving it a quick clockwise twist. The sturdy wood gently opened with a squeal and a groan as she cracked it just enough to see outside. Standing at the night-cloaked porch was Jason, accompanied by two others. The one on the right had a small lantern in his left hand to bring light to the dark night, while the one on the left stood shorter than the others and sported longer hair.

"Jason? Eugene? Margaret? What are you three doing here? It's starting to get late, you know." Sophia inquired as she kept the door cracked.

At Jason's name, Cloud was up in hysteria again. The sleep all but left his eyes and made them widen. That guy again? It seems as if he wasn't going to give up in the search for answers about the truths at the reactor just a few hours ago. The blonde knew he could hide no longer.

"You know why we're here." Jason spoke up, taking a small step forward to let the others and everyone else around know that he was in charge.

"I think I know why _you're_ here, Jason. Oh Gaia, please don't tell me you roped Margaret and Eugene into your silly accusations..." Sophia grumbled as she put a hand to her head.

"I didn't rope them into anything, Mrs. Fair. They all believe that the child you've got cooped up in your house is responsible for the reactor's explosion." The brown-headed man stated with a nod of his head, brown eyes hardened in determination to find out the truth.

"Look, I know you and probably another side of the town wants answers from him, but it's getting late and regardless if he is innocent or not, he is still just a child and needs to be getting some sleep. You can come back in the morning." Sophia declared as she started to shut the door.

However, Jason put his hand into the doorframe to keep the wooden door from shutting all the way. Sophia glared at him with narrowed honey colored eyes, warning him without words that now was not the time to be pulling a stunt like this.

"Look, Mrs. Fair. We all respect that you're going out of your way to help him, your whole family even, but we just don't want a shady stranger in our village without knowing where he came from and if he _is_ the one that ruined the reactor!"

" _Why_ are you so against him? We haven't gotten any answers either, but we're not going to turn away from an injured child that's far from home! I thought we Gongagans were known for our open-hearted nature?" Sophia reminded.

"We _are_ open-hearted! Just not when it comes to strange liars!" Jason snipped back, both of them starting to get heated regardless of the time of night.

"No one said _anything_ about him lying! Where are you pulling these fabrications from?"

"They aren't fabrications, they're suspicions!"

Cloud was now pressing the palms of his hands into his ears and whimpering softly to block out the heated argument occurring just a few feet away from him. He was scared. This was just like Nibelheim all over again! They were going to kill him or kick him out, or whatever it was they were going to do to him!

"I'm not about to let this happen a second time." Beta's low alto growled from inside the blonde's head.

That was all the warning he was given before what had once been Cloud was burnt away into subconsciousness by his middle persona's intense fire. Red eyes quickly overtook blue as hands were pulled away from his ears. Ignoring the stinging in his leg, he turned around on the couch and furrowed his eyebrows down, sitting on his knees against the cushions as his hands balled into fists.

"You want answers, Jason? Why don't you come in here n' I'll _give_ you your stinkin' answers!" Beta snarled, shaking his right fist towards the front door.

"What the-? Is he taunting me?" Jason hollered, about ready to push past Sophia to get inside the house.

"You're just...freaking him out, Jason." Sophia responded, unaware of what just happened. The sweet boy sitting on her couch seemed to just vanish when she heard him speak up. Did he just mock Jason as well? She couldn't imagine such an innocent looking child even possessing such a fierce attitude. Perhaps the stress of the situation caused him to snap.

When Jason's brown eyes collided with Beta's red ones, he made sure to pull his left eyelid down, stick his tongue out, and blow a noisy raspberry at the older female in a condescending tone.

"You call that _freaking out?_ He's _mocking_ me!" The brunette cried, hands gripping the door to attempt pulling it open to let himself in.

"Jason, stop it, _now!_ " Sophia shouted as she pulled back on the doorknob, doing her best to keep the enraged man out of her house.

"Listen here, you lying little brat! When I get in there and get my hands on you I'm going to throw you right out of this village and-!"

" _Enough!"_ Came a boisterous voice from the hallway that had _everyone_ stop, turn around, and stare.

There stood Whyatt, the hardest and most terrifying expression on his face ever known to man. His face was flushed unbelievably red and his neck muscles were bulging out. He meant business and he was showing it. Peeking out from behind him was a slightly groggy Zack, rubbing the remnants of sleep out of his right eye. His body seemed alert, but his brain looked like it was having trouble keeping up. The show of force from an individual much more intimidating than himself had Beta quickly fade away and allow the innocent child to regain control of his own body.

Cloud's eyes gently returned to blue and he blinked a few times, looking around at all the commotion. He saw Whyatt looking angrier than a rampaging bull, Sophia and Jason playing tug-o-war with the front door, and a half-sleepy, half-confused Zack standing idly by. Last he knew, he was covering his ears when the two by the door started to get a little too scary for him.

"Why are you guys keeping that little runt here? You don't even know if he's as _innocent_ as you think he is! With the way he just mocked me, I'd say for sure he's the one responsible for the reactor's explosion!" Jason hollered, still trying to get inside the house.

"Yeah! How _do_ you know he's clean?" Eugene spoke up with a grunt.

"We want him gone!" Margaret seconded with a shout.

At all the negativity being thrown at him caused Cloud's eyes to water and swell with tears. It really _was_ just like Nebelheim again: They wanted him gone over something he was told to do.

"Hey, leave him alone!" Zack snapped as he brushed past his father and stood by the couch, coming to Cloud's aid.

"Stay outta' this, Zack, this doesn't concern someone as young as you." Jason growled from behind the door.

"It concerns me when you accuse my friend, try and force your way into our house and wake everyone up!" The upset ravenette exclaimed.

"Oh, your _friend_? Are you serious? He's a stranger!" Eugene hollered from besides the fuming brunette on his left.

"I said 'enough' and I meant enough! Now stand down all of you, before I lose my temper." Whyatt spoke up, using his powerful show of force to stop the argument from progressing any further.

However, Jason would not back down and kept shouting, accusing, and pointing his finger at Cloud from across the way as Sophia and Whyatt tried to reason with the enraged young adult with Zack throwing in some input when the time seemed right. Said blonde started to softly cry the louder the shouting and yelling got, eventually getting to the point where he burst out into tears when the shouting penetrated the stronghold of his hands clamped over his ears.

As soon as he started to break down, Zack withdrew from the verbal battle and joined the child on the couch, grabbing him gently and pulling him close, as if that would shield him from any further derogatory statements and shouts.

"I can't believe you guys are protecting an outsider!" Margaret exclaimed, scoffing loudly in annoyance.

"I told you we should have rallied up more people to change their minds." Eugene commented, shooting the accusation towards their ringleader.

"It wouldn't matter anyways, this family has always been unnecessarily stubborn." Jason responded to his comrade.

"...I'm getting the shotgun." Whyatt grunted as he spun on his heel and began to retreat towards the bedroom.

" _Stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it! Quit blaming me! Will you stop it if I tell you it was me? Will that make you stop!?"_ Cloud screeched as he tore away from Zack to lash out at the enraged intruders.

That caused everyone in the room to stop, turn around, and stare at the hyperventilating blonde boy, whom was beginning to shake and whine. It had everyone stunned silent, all except for the teenager sitting behind him.

"Look what you three are doing! You're forcing him to say something just so you'll shut up and leave him alone!" Zack shouted.

"No way! That was an admission! See? I told you he was guilty!" Jason pointed out, elation swelling in his eyes when he theorized he was right all along.

"It is not! He's just saying that to satisfy you so you'll-"

"Zackary, that is _enough_." Sophia warned from her spot by the front door, keeping her foot in front of it so it would not open all the way unless extreme force was shown. She turned her narrowed golden eyes towards the aggravator outside and spat "-And _you_ need to go home. _All_ of you."

"We aren't going anywhere until we get the truth!" Jason countered, matching Mrs. Fair's hardened eyes with a pair of his own.

" _I'll go home! I'll leave, just stop yelling!"_ Cloud cried as he tore himself off the couch to stand.

As soon as he was up, a surge of pain shot through his leg and he stumbled, crashing to the wood floor below him, barely able to brace the fall by throwing his arms out first. He tried to wriggle his way back up on to his feet, but every little movement in his left leg sent small surges of prickling pain up and down the entire length of his leg. Zack was knelt to the floor by his side in a heartbeat, flashing angry lilac eyes at Jason and his cohorts.

"He's not an any condition to be going anywhere right now! Heave a heart, heartless!" He quipped, his voice seething with anger.

"Keep your insults to yourself, Zack." Whyatt warned.

The young teen was just that, a teenager. Thirteen no less. He was too young to be lashing out like this and acting the way he was. While his intentions and motives were good and pure, the way he was going about expressing them was not. He was a noble soul, but just a bit too young to express that side of him fully yet.

"If he just leaves then we'll call it even." Jason bargained as he crossed his arms over his chest comfortably.

"He is not able to, _just leave,_ Jason. You know that as well as anyone." Sophia reminded as she mimicked his own cocky stance.

Cloud once again attempted to get up, succeeding in pushing himself to his hands and knees, but being unable to push himself up all the way. He eventually caved in and rest himself against the floor silently, save for a thick sniffle from his nose. Zack was getting tired of this back and forth battle, tired of how close-minded his fellow villagers were. He just wanted to help the blonde however he could. Suddenly, a light bulb went off in his head.

"He'll leave alright, but I'm going with him." Zack finalized, a set-in-stone look radiating from his light purple eyes.

"You are not leaving this village, young man." Sophia spoke up, turning her gaze to her son as she continued to block the front door from the three outside.

"You were going to let me leave the village to join SOLDIER this weekend, why is it bad that I want to go _now?_ " He reminded.

"Only because there was supposed to be a pick-up point outside our village sent by Shin-Ra and we'd know you wouldn't encounter any dangers along the way." She responded, her honey-gold eyes just as set firm as her own child's.

"Cloud can't leave on his own, Jason and half of the village want him gone, I was about to leave soon anyways, and this would work out for everyone this way." Zack reasoned with logic, the current circumstance added as a bonus.

"I am not about to just let you-"

"Sophia, if he wants to go, let him." Whyatt spoke up from his spot by the hallway.

"Whyatt!" The golden-eyed woman gasped.

"This is his decision. While I'm not behind it a full one-hundred percent, he has logic behind his request. It would be in everyone's best interest that he leave with Cloud. While he may be a young'un still, he's growing up. We have to let him act upon his own choices and accept the responsibilities and consequences that come with them." Her husband explained, nodding his head for emphasis.

"Yeah, you should listen to him." Jason spoke up.

Without a word, Sophia slammed the door in his face, not even caring the wood connected with the younger boy's face. Now she was agitated beyond all belief after tonight's events started by Jason. While everyone had their points and reasons, she still had trouble accepting it, she was still a mother after all.

"...Zack doesn't have to leave, I can go on my own." Cloud assured after a brief pause of silence as he used the couch to hoist himself up on his knees.

"I can't just send you on your way all by yourself in that condition, it wouldn't be right of me, or fair." Sophia stated as she shook her head, thinking hard about what she was going to do.

"No, it's okay, really. I've been on my own b-before." The blonde responded brokenly as he shakily pushed himself on to unsteady feet. His knees trembled and nearly buckled under his own weight, but with the help of the couch, he was able to hold steady.

Steeling his nerve, Cloud tore away from the couch he was using as a crutch at stood on his own. It hurt. It burned. It stung something fierce, but he wasn't about to start another argument or tiff again just because he was staying longer than he should have. He figured he should have listen to Beta when he told him to leave, injury or not. If he had just left the village at that point in time, then none of the current events would have happened. The Fair's would be fine, and the reactor's malfunction would have just been chalked up to bad luck and bad weather.

He took a few slow, shaky, and unbalanced steps on his own, fighting through the stinging shooting in his leg to leave as soon as possible. If he could manage walking on his own, then there was no reason to stay here any longer. He had already wasted enough time here as is and he needed to get a move on if he was ever going to make it to Midgar.

"Cloud, please stop being so brash and think about this. There's a chance you could open your wound again and make it worse." Gamma's wispy alto spoke up, more gentle than a spring breeze.

 _'I know that, Gamma. But if I don't leave now, I'll start more fights and waste even more time, I know Beta and Alpha have already been very patient with me, I'd hate for that to run out.'_ The blonde responded mentally to his voice, not wanting to start talking out-loud to himself.

"You don't have to go this alone Cloud, I can come too! I've got some camping experience." Zack quickly brought up, if only to just stall the child for a little bit longer.

For some reason, a part of him did not want to see the young one leave, that same part wanted to desperately travel with him. He couldn't pinpoint the source of this feeling, but it was strong enough to make him act upon it. He'd never had this kind of strange connection with anyone else before, and he'd hate to lose that. It was kind of weird, but even cooler if you really thought about it.

Cloud, however, shook his head as he stood on wobbly legs. He didn't want to cause any more trouble for _anyone_ right now. This would be the best way. Although a minuscule part of him didn't want to leave the ravenette's comforting presence behind and wanted the older teen to travel with him, he knew it would be for the greater good to leave now by himself.

Stubborn till the end, he supposed.

"If you are sure about leaving right this minute, you might need this back." Whyatt spoke up, his voice carrying as the sounds of footsteps could be heard approaching the blonde child.

Cloud gently looked over his shoulder to see the large man with his things in tow, carrying the bag with ease. He carefully hooked it over the blonde's shoulder and made sure to add the extra weight to his person slowly, so it would not disrupt his already unbalanced equilibrium.

"I've also put your antibiotics in there. Do not forget to take them, and make sure to change your bandages at least once per day. You can find those in there too." Whyatt finished up, playfully flicking one of the river chocobo's feathers in the child's hair-tie.

Cloud nodded silently, a small smile gently tracing the corners of his lips. He wondered if this is what it was like to actually have a father around, to have them love, care, and protect through any kinds of means or situations. It was still a little different for him to see someone like Whyatt treating him like his own flesh-and-blood, but he appriciated it none the less.

"I still don't feel right about this... The least you could do is wait until morning and get more sleep." Sophia commented, her hands on her hips in a dismissive fashion as she silently sighed.

"It's okay. I'll be fine, I'm much tougher than I look. Besides, I don't really want Jason to come back and bother everyone again." Cloud replied with a tiny smirk forming on the corners of his lips as he shakily made it was to the front door, where the older woman stood.

"Are you sure you're going to be fine on your own, Cloud?" Zack spoke up from his spot by the living room couch, hesitancy in his voice.

"Gotta' be." The child responded as he pushed the front door open.

He hobbled outside, then shut the sturdy wood behind him, cloaking himself with the dark night sky above. He readjusted his bag on his shoulder and began to walk away from the small house, the crickets around providing soft noise as he limped by. He was only able to make it to the edge of the village's heart before he ended up collapsing. His leg was no longer stinging, but it continued to burn and was now starting to throb in tempo with his own heartbeat.

He bit back a sob or two and tried his best to recompose himself. _'Stupid stubborn nature!'_ He cursed at himself as he wiped at his eyes that had yet to form any kind of moisture. _'Why can't you just accept the help? You know you needed it, stupid!'_ It didn't do much, but a few verbal insults helped him to see the errors of his actions, even if they were too late to reverse.

When he heard the sound of dirt crunching and grass being crushed, he quickly turned his upper half around in a sloppy one-eighty to see what was behind him. Jason, Eugene, and Margaret were advancing on his fallen form slowly, but surely. Cloud shot them a sad and pitiful glare, trying to pass for angry, but failing.

"What do _you_ want?" He crowed as he pulled back another thick sniff.

"While simply leaving the village seemed good enough at the time, we realized we still wanted to know the truth at the reactor." Jason responded, brown eyes glowing dark in the waning moonlight.

"I'm getting out of your town, what more do you want from me besides questions I don't wanna answer?" Cloud whined, tired of these situations playing out just like they had in Nibelheim.

"C'mon kid, is it really that hard to tell the truth to your elders?" Margaret pressed, not so haggard as her companions were.

"I only like to tell the truth to the people that are worth it." Cloud calmly insulted as he made move to stand up again to get the heck out of there.

"What?!" Eugene hollered, losing control and seeing nothing but red at that remark. Without permission or any indication, the larger man rushed at the child.

The blonde scurried to get away, but was easily stopped in his tracks when the black-haired man seized his wounded leg, squeezing tight. Cloud let out a pained cry and hit the dirt-coated ground face first, left cheek connecting with stray fragments of dirt and rock. The heftier man groped tighter, watching as the boy under him squirmed, writhed, and cried out, trying his best to get away even through the onslaught of pain.

"Eugene! While we may want answers from him, that's no way to go about getting them!" Margaret scolded.

While they were adamant about getting answers from the strange child, hurting him was not going to get them anywhere. They never had any intentions of using violence, just harsh words and persuasion, but this was taking it a bit too far. Eugene only tightened his hold like a vice grip, causing tears to billow in the child's eyes and pour out of them like a river.

"Listen here, brat! We want the truth and you're going to give it to us! Tell us now and apologize for that insult or your leg's about to get way worse!" The black-haired stout man screeched as he squeezed as hard as he could, going far enough to dig his fingernails past the bandages and into the treated gash.

Cloud didn't want to tell them, he _couldn't_ tell them! Otherwise Beta and Alpha would be cross with him, and perhaps that might alter the future in a way that they wouldn't have control of. He _had_ to keep silent, but it was getting harder the tighter his hurt leg was gripped and clawed. To keep from spilling, he just focused on howling out as loud as he could and focused on the number of tears that slid down his cheek to dot his fists.

 _"What do you think you're doing?!"_ A familiar voice cried.

All of a sudden, Eugene was tackled, and the force of the attack caused both figures to crash and collide against the ground as they rolled. Now that Cloud was free from the pin and the pain, he flipped his body over and glanced to the left, where the two figures were currently in a stalemate, wrestling the other and trying to gain the upper hand. Even in the darkness that accompanied a waning moon, the blonde could make out the form of Zack, trying to overpower Eugene for what he had done.

"Get off'a me, Zack!" Eugene bellowed as he tried to push the young teenager off him, but failing to do so.

"You know what-" Zack growled as he stopped tousling with the older man, letting go of his shirt that he had gripped in his fists, letting the other black-haired man collide with the ground below on his back. "-You aren't worth it." He responded as he got off his fellow villager and dusted his hands off,  
"Believe me when I tell you I didn't like doing that to you, but who goes out of their way to torment a little kid?" He shot as he stepped away from Eugene and gently knelt down beside Cloud.

"Wait a minute, we didn't mean for this to happen, honest!" Margaret pleaded desperately.

"Even if that is or isn't true, that still doesn't justify the fact that you two _let_ Eugene handle Cloud like that. If this is how adults act, remind me to stop aging." Zack added before sarcastically snipping at the three. _'Man, if my old man just heard me say those things I think he'd lick me with his leather belt me till I couldn't walk.'_ He added in thought.

"Zack? What are you doing out here?" Cloud asked as he wiped the tears of pain from his eyes, as if to hide his weakness in front of the older teen.

"I've decided to go with you. After what I just saw, I think you could use the back-up." The older boy responded with a wink and a grin.

"B-But, what about your parents?" The blonde stammered as Zack helped him up on his own two feet, letting the younger one use him as a brace in case he were to lose balance or stumble.

"After you left, I just got this funny feeling in my chest and it wouldn't go away, weird huh? So anyways, I pleaded with mom until she caved in and said I could leave with you tonight. Right after I picked up my bag, I heard you crying out so I mad dashed out here, and that's the story." Zack explained with a never-ending smile plastered on his face.

"A-Are you sure you want to travel with me?" Cloud squeaked, feeling a pink blush flush across his cheeks.

"Why not? Two is better than one, as they say! So, where _are_ you headed to anyways?" Zack inquired, cocking his head to the right as he asked.

"Oh, me? Um..." The blonde stammered, not knowing if he could tell the older teen about where he was going.

"It is fine if you tell him where we are going. You may even tell him you are applying for SOLDIER if he requests a reason. Be sure to exclude our true purpose." Alpha smoothly cut in as he eased the child's fretting.

"I'm going to Midgar." Cloud responded without hesitation after he got the approval from his eldest persona.

"Woah! You too? That's where I'm headed! We can go there together!" Zack exclaimed with a chirp to his already chipper voice. "But wait, what's a kiddo like you going to Midgar for?" He questioned innocently. He then started to help the blonde walk, no time like the present to get going. Plus, he was tired of having conversations around the three that tried to demand answers from his new best friend.

"I want to join SOLDIER, like you." Cloud responded, recalling that's the reason why his older friend was going to Midgar too.

"You? SOLDIER?" Zack asked, trying to hold back some harsh snickers. "No offense, Cloudy, but, can you fight?" He added as a few chuckles managed to slip through the cracks.

"Heh, if he only knew." Beta's grumbling voice commented as the two began to walk at a pace comfortable to them, slowly making their way out of Gongaga and even further towards Midgar.

* * *

A/N: And that's where I'll be stopping this chapter for now! I hope you all enjoyed reading it, and I apologize for the long wait for it! *Sweat bead*

Well, leave a review or type a response, even PM me if you want and let me know what you guys thought of the latest chapter!

Until the next one everybody! Toodles!

~Zimithrus1


	9. Never Stop Keep Walking

Hello everyone! Welcome to chapter nine of Tsudzukeru! I'm sorry for the long wait, a lot has been on my plate, again haha X3 But the good part is I finally found myself a decent job that pays well, so I can stop stressing about bills and payments :D But now that does cut into my already nearly non-existent typing time, so we'll see how that works out ^^;

But I finally got a better word editing program, so together along with my beta, I am unstoppable! XD And to make up for my absence, I put in a special scene between Zack and Cloud in the form of one of Gamma's memories (This is for all you CxZ fans out there :D but no, it's not a lemon XD) Anyways, I won't keep you, enjoy chapter nine :)

PS: R.I.P to Glenn Frey, Singer of the Eagles. 6-11-1948 to 1-18-2016. Sorry, had to put that in there, I grew up with the Eagles and they are one of my favorite bands. *heart*

* * *

~9: Never Stop. Keep Walking.~

"So, Cloud. I've been meaning to ask you, how old _are_ you anyway?" Zack inquired as he pushed a low hanging tree branch out of his way.

"Eleven." Cloud responded, adjusting his messenger bag on his left shoulder as the contents inside started to weigh down on him slightly.

The dynamic duo were currently making their way through the dense jungles of Gongaga, aiming to reach the edge of the village before they stopped to sleep for the night. The blonde had to constantly lean against his older friend and use him as a crutch due to the pain and stinging in his left leg. The raven-haired man did not mind in the slightest, always keeping one arm circled around the younger boy's waist to help support his slackened frame. It's just what friends did for each other.

" _Eleven?_ " Zack choked, having to stop in his tracks and whip his head over to the right to glance at his young friend.

"What's wrong with that?" Cloud conjectured, his tone half offended and half curious.

"I hate to break it to you, but Shin-Ra doesn't recruit candidates unless they're thirteen or older." The black-haired man responded in a doubting voice, his eyes displaying sympathy.

" _What?_ " It was the blonde's turn to be surprised. Why didn't Beta or Alpha -or Gamma even- tell him about that stipulation?

" _Because it does not matter."_ Alpha cut in swiftly in Cloud's head, stopping the child from fretting any further.

" _How does that_ not _matter?"_ Cloud snapped internally, his own voice very harsh at his eldest persona as he broke eye contact with Zack to glance at his shoes.

" _There will soon be a war on the horizon; Wutai against Midgar. If the entirety of it goes according to my plan, then we will be able to enlist into the program effortlessly."_ The weapon informed diligently.

" _You're going to throw me into a_ war _!?"_ Cloud gasped indignantly to himself.

" _Relax, child. You shall not be harmed. I guarantee it, just leave the preparation and execution to me."_

"Cloud? Are you alright? You're looking really pale. Do you need to take a break?" Zack's concerned voice interrupted gently.

The blonde snapped out of his internal conversation with his persona to glance up at his older friend with a near blank but confused look on his face. When the question comprehended in his head, he fervently shook his head and laughed it off.

"No, I'm fine, it's just that your news gave me a bit of a shock is all, but don't worry. Besides, after we get there, there's no way they won't take me." Cloud responded swiftly.

" _Really?_ Well then, I guess I'll just have to see for myself." Zack remarked with a smirk, gently nudging the younger boy forward so they could start walking again.

"I guess you will." Cloud countered playfully, feeling a smile tug at the corners of his lips.

He didn't know what it was, but with Zack, he just felt so comfortable as if he had known him his whole life. In retrospect, he technically did when adding his personas hazy memories to the mix. He hoped that one day soon they'd let him look into all of them and let him see why they closed those visions off. Was it something bad? Were they being selfish? Who knows. With his other selves, everything was a mystery or was always shrouded in it.

"Okay then, so you're eleven and you're rather cocky for your age, got it." Zack noted lightheartedly as he stepped over a fallen tree branch carefully.

"Well then, for your age you're rather sarcastic. Wait, how old are _you?_ At least thirteen I'm guessing." Cloud asked, recalling that his friend stated you had to be at least thirteen to enroll with Shin-Ra's company.

"Yeah, going on fourteen next month." The ravenette replied with a wink.

"A month, so that means you were born when, September?"

"Yeah, the twenty-ninth! How about you, Spike?"

" _Spike_?" Cloud deadpanned with a flat expression on his face.

"It's your nickname, cause of your hair." Zack responded jovially as his eyes gestured to the wild blonde spikes atop the child's head.

"Well that's something I've never heard before. So you've also got some clever naming skills." The blonde huffed sarcastically, "Anyways, I was born in August, the nineteenth."

"So you just turned eleven, didn't you?"

"Yeah. I can't believe how bright it is out here tonight though." Cloud commented, glancing up momentarily to peek through the foliage of the dense jungle.

There was a bright full moon hanging high in the sky, the stars twinkling around it dimly. It was strong enough to break through the green leaves and wash the jungle floor in pale, yet soft, white light, making navigation much easier than expected. A few fireflies danced through the still night, giving off some extra light. It was still dim, bit it could have been much worse.

"It is pretty bright tonight, probably won't be this lucky next time we travel at night. Why don't we try to stick with daytime, eh?" Zack mused with a chuckle.

"Uh-huh!" Cloud agreed with a sharp nod of his head.

"But that's cool. So, what's your favorite color?" Zack asked as he pushed another low hanging tree branch out of his and his friend's way.

"Did you really just ask that?" Cloud asked with an arched eyebrow as he gently ducked under the low hanging bough.

"Um, yeah? Look, if we're traveling together, we gotta get to know each other a little better, don't you think?" The ravenette inquired, gently squeezing the child's side with the hand that was supporting his smaller frame.

"I guess so. Mine's blue. How about you?" The blonde answered.

"Mine's-" Zack began, only to stop midsentence and in his tracks.

The blonde stumbled to a halt as well nearly losing his footing if it hadn't been for the teen holding him up. He looked up at his older friend in confusion at why he stopped so suddenly. When he saw the concentrated look on the older teen's face, he knew the playful questions were over and that something serious was about to take place.

Cloud glanced ahead to see what was amiss, his eyes instantly locking on with the night-cloaked form of what could only be a giant bug type thing. When a slight breeze blew through the trees just right, it allowed the full moon's light to wash over the creature. It was big, no doubt, though probably a foot shorter than the child at most.

It looked like a giant yellow and green grasshopper. It was currently devouring on the carcass of a decomposing Touch Me. Uck, if he didn't like bugs before, he sure did now. He felt Zack gently nudge him back with a firm yet gentle hand on his chest before he was guided to lean against the thick truck of a tree. Cloud had to look back up at the raven-haired teen in shock. Was he really going to fight that gross looking thing?

"You stay back for now, those Kimara Bugs can get pretty violent." Zack muttered to where only the blonde could hear.

"But Zack, I-"

"But nothing, as if I'd let you do anything dangerous in that condition of yours."

Cloud was about to protest, but the objection died and withered on his tongue. While he was sure he'd be able to do something about that monster like he had earlier with the Touch Me, the reminder that he was still wounded was enough to make him stop and think. But then again, what would his friend be able to do? He didn't see a blade on his person.

His silent question was answered with a silent response as the ravenette slowly bent down and drew a large hunting knife from his right boot, the look on his face shadowy and steady. He slowly rose back up to his normal height, then began to creep towards the unsuspecting bug, each step slow and careful as to not disturb the leaves or twigs on the ground.

The leaves danced in another sway of wind, playing with the moonlight and making it flicker from the bug to Zack and back again, almost like a silent signal. The fireflies even fled, taking their blinking lights with them.

Cloud watched with admiration, completely impressed with how the bigger teenager moved through the environment as silent as a lion hunting an antelope. His knife was up eye-level with his arm curled over his face and the blade sticking out in his iron hard grip. Each step was silent, save for the gentle moving of the earth and dirt below his boots. Whenever the large monster looked up to observe its surroundings and check for any beings that might try to steal its food, Zack stopped mid-step.

The Kimara bug made a few chirping and hissing sounds before going back to its disgusting meal. That's when the onyx-haired teen began to stealthily move through the luscious jungle and further towards the unsuspecting creature. The tree leaves blocked out the moon, casting the form of Zack in shadows. All Cloud could see was a fuzzy black silhouette against an even blacker background. He noticed that even his friend's breathing was as silent as his strides. When he was close enough, he went in for the kill.

However, he stepped on a twig mid-assault, which caused the bug to glance up quickly and screech in anger and fright.

"Oops." Zack remarked, his tone a little sheepish.

The Kimara bug let out another screech and started to skitter towards him quickly, unfurling its wings with a near rattling _hiss_ sound. The teen sprinted towards the beast to meet it head on, the moonlight flickering from above the dancing tree leaves. There was no stealth annihilation now. So much for doing a little bit of showing off. When he was close enough, he sprinted and leapt with his knife outstretched.

He let out a cry and swung out his knife, slicing the bug's neck with the sharp blade just in time for the moon to cloak them in pure pale light. It let out a cry as green blood spurted from the gash, the creature writhing and screeching as it bled out, soon becoming a corpse in a matter of seconds just like the meal it had been devouring was.

Zack nodded sharply as he cleaned the large knife off on the bark of a tree to the left of him, the moon making the crimson shimmer like glitter. When he spun on his heel to return to his friend's spot, he had a grin on his face before he flashed him two thumbs up, half of his face covered in darkness, and half revealed to be bright and cheery from the strobe of light beaming down one side of him.

Cloud, however, was still in quiet awe with his mouth barely hanging open. How had be managed to sneak up on the beast and annihilate it so swiftly? He had even alerted the monster, but he still brought it down with relative ease. He was probably going to have no problems getting into SOLDIER with skill like that.

However, his brow furrowed in thought when an answer came to the front of his mind. "You were showing off weren't you?" He playfully accused.

"Maybe just a little bit." Zack chuckled, before he added, "Can you do that?" He asked as he gently pulled the younger boy away from the tree and stood beside him again, instinctively curling his right arm around the child's waist to balance him out again as the moon's light ducked behind the jungle foliage for a bit.

"Uh, I think so? I killed two Touch Me's before I stumbled into the village." Cloud supplied, feeling the faintest of blushes burn across his cheeks as he was helped to walk again.

"You _think?_ Nah, Cloudy. If you already killed two of those frogs then you can do it. Alright, left foot first." Zack praised as he directed the child to start walking on the right foot. "Anyway to answer the question from earlier, my favorite color is white."

"Wait, _white_? But that's more like a shade than a color." The blonde stated with an arched eyebrow.

"Heh, not to me Spike. You see, I like white not only because it's such a bright color, but because it's pure. It's like the color of angel wings, it's something untainted and can never be ruined because it's so bright, you know?" Zack explained with a very wise look on his face, something that just seemed so out of character for such a peppy and rather sappy individual.

"I don't get it, it's still not a color." Cloud blandly stated as he shook his head slowly.

"That's alright to think that, but I believe you'll understand someday." The teen responded with an ivory white smile, the hand supporting the child gently patting the lithe waist in a friendly manner. A few fireflies returned to travel with them through the still and slightly windy night. "So, favorite animal?" He asked.

"What branch of animal? Normal or altered?" Cloud asked.

"Both!" Zack returned in a chipper voice.

"I like cats and Moogles. But thinking about it, I really like them both." The blonde replied, before adding, "You?"

"That's easy! I like dogs and Cactuars!"

" _Cactuars?_ "

"Is this what it's gonna be like this the whole night? I say I like something and you question me?" Zack teased good-naturedly.

"Sorry, I was just a little shocked. I mean, they are cute in their own way, but they're so ill-tempered and prickly."

"Not if you know how to act around them!" The raven-haired teen boasted with a big grin.

"And you _do_?" Cloud inquired.

"Well….Kinda." Zack nervously admitted, his free hand going to rub the back of his head sheepishly. "Believe me, Spike, you do _not_ want to step on those guys, they hurt!" He informed quickly.

"You _stepped_ on a cactuar?"

"Yeah! You know how small those little buggers are! Besides, you're doing the whole, 'question me whenever I say something thing' again."

"Oh sorry, it's just that everything you've said so far has been questionable at best."

"And what's _that_ supposed to mean you little squirt?" Zack interjected as his free hand quickly formed into a fist, his knuckles driving and twisting against the top of the blonde's head.

"Ow! I was just saying! _Ow!_ Cut it out!" Cloud exclaimed.

"Uh-huh, that's what I thought!" The raven-haired youth responded with a curt head nod as he pulled his fist away, the moon smiling down on them quickly before dashing behind the canopy again.

The blonde boy couldn't resist blowing a raspberry at the young teen, falling back on childish instincts that were still embedded deep in him. A set of traits he wouldn't outgrow for just a few years. He hoped he'd at least get to hang onto this side of himself for at least a little longer. He really didn't want to face fully growing up yet.

"Hey, look! We made it!" Zack exclaimed softly as he pushed back one final tree branch hanging low in their path.

Cloud's eyes refocused ahead of him where he was met with a wide open field cloaked in the protection of the night. The grass around them rippled like waves in the ocean as the wind held the sweet scent of dew on each breeze and sigh. There was more natural wildlife out here besides the monsters inside the jungle. Crickets were performing an outdoor symphony as fireflies danced through the navy blue sky. This field was much more alive in the night than it had been in the day when he first arrived here. The moon was no longer hiding and was grinning wide.

It was almost hard to believe that it was just earlier this morning that he was heading into the jungle, and now after what felt like eons, he was finally exiting it with not only a wound to show for it, but a traveling companion and a new friend to help him on his way. The blonde took a brief moment to glance to his left and up at his friend.

Zack's eyes were big and bright as they also took in the sights of this beautiful night. He could see the reflection of the moon in those lavender lilacs, and he could see the reflection of a few yellow lights briefly pass by his pupils when the fireflies fluttered by. From inside his head, he heard one of his voices sigh with mixed emotions. It sounded sad, longing, and loving at the same time.

It had probably been Gamma to make the noise. He had the same kind of reaction when first seeing the raven-haired teen and judging from the memory he saw when falling unconscious earlier today, Cloud could guess that in his youngest voice's time, these two had probably been very close. He was still unsure though, for most of that persona's memories were sealed off in particular. He wasn't sure when his picky voices would open up and let him in on the enigma that was currently Zack Fair.

"This looks like a good place to stop and set up camp for the night." Zack deduced with an affirmed nod as he shrugged his pack from his shoulder.

He carefully leaned Cloud up against one of the trees on the border of the jungle, telling him, "Hang tight while I set up." Before crouching down to dig through his pack.

"I can help you know." The blonde assured, making move to peel away from the smooth bark of the palm tree he was clinging to like a koala.

"No, no. You stay put, you can't even stand up straight on your own, let alone put a tent together." Zack dismissed, waving him off with his right hand as he pulled out an aforementioned tent from his pack.

"I can too!" Cloud defiantly challenged, pushing away from the tree to balance out his weight.

As soon as the rest of his weight was applied to his wounded and infected leg, it shot twinges of pain up and down the limb before he crumpled to the grassy field like a discarded rag doll.

"Uh-huh, sure." Zack snarked as he fought with the tarp like material of the temporary shelter. When he stopped wrestling with it, he glanced up and voiced, "You need some help getting back up?"

" _No_! I can do it myself!" Cloud protested as a blush of embarrassment shot across his cheeks like wildfire in a dry plain.

With some decent struggling, effort, and pain, he managed to claw his way up the smooth bark of the palm tree before regaining his unbalanced equilibrium and getting his stationary crutch back. When Zack gave him a goofy ' _I told you so_ ' grin, the blonde had to break his gaze away from the teenager and curl his fingers into the bark, his red face flushing even darker than before.

' _Stupid leg.'_ He cursed to himself, scowling down at the infected limb vehemently.

When he felt most of the accursed heat leave his cheeks, he dared to glance back to where Zack was currently fumbling with their sleeping arrangements for the night. The black and yellow tent had been set up rather hastily, but was effective nonetheless. He had just pushed the last stake into the ground to anchor the flimsy thing in place.

"Okay, now that that's done, we just gotta get some heat going and we can get some shut eye!" He listed off to himself with a sure nod of his head.

Cloud was about to speak up about how he could take care of that, but there was a rush of heat from inside his head that made him flinch and stop.

" _Idiot, you can't use Phoenix in front of him! Think about it, if he links you to using Materia, it will only prove that you destroyed the reactor. Not only that, but it could probably change the future in a way we don't want it to."_ Beta warned suddenly. Well, that explains the heat searing through his head like a rampant fever."

" _Okay, sorry. I was just trying to be helpful."_ Cloud appeased the middle persona from inside his head.

" _Just stay with the tree for now."_ Beta abruptly grunted before his scorching heat died away as fast as it came.

The blonde couldn't resist rolling his eyes when his friend wasn't looking. All of his personas sure were different from one another. He still preferred the presence of Gamma over all of them. It was hard to believe that all of those voices were once a part of him. It was even harder to believe that a voice as demanding and cocky like Beta could have come from _him_ in some distant future. However, he was a sure fighter and knew exactly what to expect in a battle or any kind of situation like such. He was just a little rough around the edges, he supposed.

He still didn't know what to think of Alpha. He was even more of an enigma than how his chaotic mind was arranged. All he knew about his eldest voice was that he was an undying weapon with powers to match and was always on task. He seemed to hate straying away from an appointed assignment and had an eloquent way of speaking. That was probably due to how long he had been alive and seen the way the world changed even after his era had died away.

Now Gamma may be easier to talk and converse to, he was still just as evasive as his other two selves. While he was more in tune with his emotions, he was very good at hiding things he didn't want others to see. Like how he kept a large chunk of the memories pertaining to Zack locked away. He could be sly when he wanted, or he could be more open than a blank-paged book. His moods tended to shift more often than the others.

Needless to say, he could probably do with a little bonding with each of his personas.

"There! All set!" Zack called, clapping his hands together swiftly.

Cloud was forced out of his internal musings at the startling sound, distant eyes quickly refocusing to where his friend was. The raven-haired teen was knelt in front of a small pile of sticks and was able to get a fire going with a few branches pulled right off the trees and a small lighter with a long neck. The flames were glowing a bright yellow-orange and providing a soothing light to the full night sky above. The crickets continued to sing and the fireflies decided to take their flickering lights elsewhere.

Zack glanced up towards where he left his young blonde friend hang around before hopping back up onto his feet with a small grunt of peppy effort.

"You wouldn't happen to have any extra food, would you? I didn't really bring that kind of stuff because I didn't know I'd be going to Midgar on foot! Luckily enough I grabbed this camping stuff before booking it out earlier!" The teen inquired, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly as a faint pink blush dusted across his cheeks.

"Oh, yeah. I've got some extra. It might not last us very long, but we should manage." Cloud responded.

"Awesome! And while we eat, you can take your antibiotics and I can tend to that leg of yours." Zack informed as he helped the child off the tree and over to the makeshift campsite.

"You don't have to do that, I think I could manage on my own." Cloud protested gently, feeling another blush creep across his face. He wasn't used to someone being so generous to him.

"Hey, you ever change a bandage before?" Zack mused as he helped his friend take a seat in front of the warmest spot by the fire.

"No, have you, while we're on the subject?" The blonde retorted.

"Once, I think? But hey, between the two of us, we should be able to figure it out!" The raven-haired teen reasoned as he sat down next to the child.

Cloud tugged his messenger bag from his shoulder and opened up the front flap. In the main pocket, hiding under all of his camping tools, lay a few rations and protein bars they could munch on before bed. He took out one of each for the both of them, as well as two small eight ounce water bottles to wash it all down with. The blonde distributed the goods to his friend and kept his own share to himself.

"Thanks, kiddo!" Zack chirped, taking the offered items with a big grin to match.

He eyed the wrapping of the protein bar with both hungry and excited eyes, licking his lips before peeling it back greedily. Cloud bit back a snort, breaking his eyes away to keep from laughing out loud. His friend sure could act like more of a child than he did. Who gets excited about eating protein bars? However, he could probably do with a little pep and enthusiasm in his life right now. He was lacking in those departments.

Cloud peeled back the wrapping of his own bar before biting into it almost robotically. It was sustenance and nothing more. It was nothing like Sophia's spaghetti and just recalling he was eating a bland bar made his mouth drier than usual. He uncapped his water bottle and took a quick sip from it as his eyes glanced into the fire sitting in front of him.

As he stared into the flames, he squinted his eyes and cocked his head when his eyes displayed images within the fiery infernos. He saw himself? No, he looked older and his clothes were different. It was one of his personas then. He looked young and shy with a vibrant blush burning in his cheeks: Gamma. His youngest guise was glancing up with a shy smile on his face before the flames displayed that he was looking up at Zack like that.

However, the Zack he was sitting next to and the one in the flames looked different. The fire-figure had bright blue eyes the color of the sky. His hair was styled differently, a single strand falling in his face while the rest was eased back and spiked chaotically. There was even a cross shaped scar on his left cheek. The characters in the flames were sitting outside at night watching something, shooting the breeze, and generally having a good time. It caused a warm feeling to stir in his stomach and swell in his chest.

"Hey, you gonna eat, Spike?"

Cloud broke away from the visions in the fire and glanced over to his left with a dazed look on his face. The soft noises of the night like the crickets and the fireflies helped bring him back from his stare. Zack was looking at him with a curious and concerned look on his face, his ration wrapper wadded up in his right fist.

"Oh, yeah of course. Sorry about that, I was just staring." The blonde supplied, taking a bite from his bar quickly when he was reminded he still had food to finish off.

"Okay." The raven-haired teen responded with a smirk before he tipped his water bottle back and finished off the measly contents.

When Cloud looked back towards the fire, the images were gone and the former orange glow had returned. He still continued to stare into the flames as he mechanically ate his meager portions. Why did his personas have to be so dang evasive when it came to showing him their lives? What was the worst he could see that he hadn't already?

"That's right! You gotta take your antibiotics!" Zack recalled, rather loudly.

The blonde boy jumped slightly from the outburst. His friend could sure be boisterous and startling even when he didn't mean to be. He forced a neutral expression to remain on his face through the startle and focused on stilling his heart beating in double time.

"They're in your bag right?" The vivacious teenager asked before he leaned over the child to reach his bag anyways.

Cloud felt a heated blush pool in his cheeks from their extremely close and invasive proximity. His nose was almost touching the older teen's right shoulder. He could even catch of whiff of his natural scent; smelled like pure cinnamon and burning timber, smoky and sweet at the same time.

"Ha! Found 'em!" Zack cheered softly as he grasped the plastic bag they were contained in. He shook it around for a moment before returning back to his former spot by the fire and his young friend.

"You wanna ask next time before you just go digging around in people's bags?" Cloud quipped sarcastically as he capped his half full water bottle and rolled his eyes.

"Why? You're not hiding anything, are you?" Zack mused with a sly grin as he popped open the seal on the bag.

"No! It's just an invasion of privacy, that's all!" Cloud huffed, his left cheek pouting out.

"Sorry kiddo, but with me-" he paused to thumb his chest to indicate to himself, "-You don't get to have a private life! I'm an up close and personal kinda guy." He smiled with a lilting laugh as he fished out one of the white pills from the bag.

Cloud had to roll his eyes again. Honestly, he didn't mind that Zack wanted to be in his life and have something to do with him. Having a friend was a nice feeling, even if he was rather stubborn about how he acted around them. It was probably his slightly guarded nature from the village bullies back home that caused him to act as he had. But it was still fun to have playful banter like this without fists flying and insults thrown with punches.

The black-haired teen broke the small oval pill in half, depositing the part they would not be using back into the plastic bag before resealing the flimsy thing again. He then leaned over and took a hold of his young friend's hand, holding it up before gently turning the wrist by himself. When the smaller palm was facing up, the half-pill was deposited into the palm before a larger hand guided smaller fingers to close around the miniscule medication.

"I'm sure you don't need me to say 'open up' and put that thing in your mouth myself." Zack assumed with a smile and smirk. "Just make sure it doesn't get caught in the back of your throat." He informed as he took a hold of his friend's water bottle and held it up for him to take.

"Alright, _mom_." Cloud joked with a snort as he popped the small half into his mouth.

A brief image of his mother flashed in his head then, one of her smiling as she stirred broth over the stove with a gentle smile on her face. The blonde shook his head and nearly cringed like there was a bitter taste in his mouth. He really needed to stop thinking about his mother. Sure, he missed her dearly and wanted nothing more than to go back home, eat some watery soup and sleep in a lumpy bed next to her, but he knew that was something he was not allowed.

He chugged down the half-pill with both a pained and disgusted look on his face, the memory washing away like the white medicine down his esophagus. Before Zack could ask him what was wrong, he quickly gave him a smile and thumbs up. It was enough to deter the teen from asking about his strange reaction.

"Okay, I'd say we get some sleep now, sound good to you?" Zack inquired as his bright lilac eyes glanced into the gunmetal blues of his friend's.

"Yeah." Cloud responded with a curt head nod.

"Oh, you probably have a tent of your own, huh? Do you want me to set it up? Or do you wanna bunk with your new best friend?" The raven-haired teen asked, before nudging the child with his elbow.

The blonde had almost forgotten he had his own tent. He didn't want to take advantage of his friend by making him set up his own tent, and after that first night spent alone, he knew he didn't want to go it alone again when he knew he didn't have to. After all, the dark still kinda scared him.

"Ah, well. I mean, if you wouldn't mind, I guess I could-"

"Gotcha, bunk with your bestie it is!" Zack chirped enthusiastically and he bounded up from his spot by the fire. "Just to let you know, I've been told I talk in my sleep." He added with a laugh.

He extended his hand towards his friend with a sincere and gentle grin on his face, his lilac eyes glimmering bright in the dim orange light. Cloud accepted the help up with a faint rubicund glow in his cheeks. His leg gave a testing sting when he applied a gentle pressure to it when attempting to somewhat steady himself on his own. His face scrunched up in displeasure and slight pain but he bit his lip to stave it from showing. An owl hooted from one of the trees near the edge of the jungle before quieting down for the time being, almost as if it had told the two boys 'goodnight'.

He was guided over to the yellow and black tent and even helped inside. It was slightly bigger than the blonde's own, still able to fit two people with relative ease. There were two small pillows along with a sheet and a comforter, probably a standard package with this tent.

Zack helped ease his friend down on the side of the tent furthest from the flap. In case something happened to get nosy, the child wouldn't be dragged away for a midnight monster snack. The comforter was thrown over the boy's body, the older teen vouching for the sheet since he was used to the rather chilly nights out here. Tropical weather and chilly nights near the outskirts of a jungle; Gongaga certainly was a strange village.

"Finally! We can go back to sleep! Granted, we're outside and on the ground, but sleep is sleep nonetheless." Zack proclaimed as he laid back against his pillow and blew out a noisy sigh from his mouth.

"…I'm not feeling very tired." Cloud admitted quietly, not speaking up as if he was ashamed of his statement.

"You're not tired?! Well then, I suppose we'll just have to remedy that now won't we?" The raven-haired teen mused as he flashed his friend a great big smile.

"Why do you mean by that?" The blonde asked as one of his brows arched upwards to meet his hairline.

"A bedtime story oughta do it! Lucky for you I still remember some of the ones my dad used to tell me, so listen up, they work like a charm." Zack explained dramatically, as if he was building up suspense.

"A story, really?" Cloud questioned, half sarcastically and half surprised.

"You wanna fall asleep or not? Besides, you're only eleven, you're still just a kid as much as you deny it or not!" The teen countered in an all-knowing fashion.

The blonde opted for silence and a gentle blush as his non-verbal answer. With that, Zack perked up with a big grin on his face, like this was all some kind of slumber party.

"Once upon a time there was a king and queen that ruled over the lands of-"

"A fairy tale? I'm not six anymore, you know." The blonde boy interrupted.

"Hey, your silence meant you wanted one, so I don't wanna hear it!" The raven-haired teen replied with a bit of sass.

"Okay, okay." Cloud appeased as he adjusted the comforter over his body a little better.

" _As I was saying_ , There was a king and queen that ruled over the lands of a desert kingdom called Ragdim. There weren't any trees or flowers and there was barely enough water for the people living there. But they had a special kind of power called Okam that made their lives much easier. Well one day, some uppity-pompous windbag named Rashin came along and wanted the power all to himself. He took it and exiled the king and queen from their desert paradise.

"But the king and queen's only heir, the prince, would not stand for this. For prince, uhh, Prince Duolc, that was his name! Well, he wouldn't stand for any of this! So-"

"These names are really weird. Are you sure your _dad_ came up with this?" Cloud countered.

"Zip it you." Zack teased, pointing his finger at him before continuing with, "It _was_ my dad's, I just took some creative liberty with it is all. Can I continue now, you ornery boy?" He asked, the dim lighting making his face glow in an eerie manner before it quickly faded away.

"I guess so." The blonde responded dismissively with an added shoulder shrug. Although he had to frown when he realized his friend called him stubborn, his mother always called him that too.

"-So the prince devised a plot that would overthrow the windbag and take his kingdom back for his parents, his people, and himself! He went off on a search for the elusive Ultimate Weapon, which was rumored to defeat any kind of evil. So prince Duolc journeyed to the lands of Leedim where he encountered the beast. When telling his tale to the big dark dragon, he agreed to help the prince, and bestowed upon him the Ultima sword. With the sword in hand he returned to Ragdim and faced off against Rashin and his cohorts.

"Eventually, the prince won the battle and drove off the pompous windbag and his sniveling associate Ojoh! The king and queen resumed their reign and brought peace to their land. The end!"

When Zack checked to see if Cloud was asleep after his story, his jaw dropped when he heard a voice speak with an innocent tone,

"Wait, was that supposed to make me sleepy?"

"Forget it, just toss and turn for a few hours, I'm gonna crash." The teen sighed, giving up on helping his friend get tired enough to fall asleep.

The child could only stare for a moment, wondering if Zack was actually mad at him for not being sleepy at his silly story. Maybe it was just the dim lighting again. It had been playing shadow puppets with him all night. But he opted for lighting and shrugged before closing his eyes, hoping that the flickering he saw outside of the tent was just from the fire and not something else.

* * *

 _The sky was darker than piano black tonight, but the stars above shimmered like minuscule diamonds all around the bleakness. The moon was barely in the sky, just a sliver just before the transition to becoming a new moon. It was a thin smile, like that of a Cheshire cat grinning high above him in some far off land._

 _Cloud couldn't sleep. He tried tossing and turning, tried counting sheep too. Even after counting two hundred and twenty-seven, he was still as awake as ever. So instead of upsetting his tent partner, he opted for sitting outside for a little while. The silence, save for the crickets and owls, was comforting and he relished in being alone for a little bit. However, he'd rather be sleeping that sitting outside in cold weather._

 _Speaking of cold, a shiver racked through his body when a breeze blew by. That's why you pack warmer clothes in the middle of January on a field mission where there is little to no shelter at all. Even though there was a small fire in front of him, it wasn't much to keep the wind's bitter chill from biting at his arms. Cloud and a few others were out on a scouting mission that would last approximately two days. They had to set up camp at the halfway point for the night so they could get to their destination at the given time._

 _A tickle developed in his nose, and he scrunched it up and tried to fight it from getting out, but his body gave in and made him sputter out a quiet sneeze. He may have grown up in the cold, but that didn't mean he had to like it. He should have at least grabbed a blanket or something before deciding to go sit outside in nothing but his muffler, an undershirt, and his fatigues._

 _"Hey, what are you doing up?" A gentle voice asked._

 _Cloud quickly glanced over his left shoulder to see who had spoken up. But with that voice, he knew he really didn't have to look. There stood Zack Fair with a concerned look on his face, the fire in front of the blonde glowing a soft orange in the SOLDIER's electric blue eyes. He too was clothed in his knit top and his fatigues. He also had a thick blanket balled up in his arms. He didn't look a speck tired, he must have not gone to bed quite yet._

 _"Oh, I couldn't sleep." Cloud responded quietly, tearing his eyes away from the older man as a pink blush gently dusted across his cheeks._

 _"Try counting sheep?" Zack suggested as he unfolded the blanket and sat down in front of the fire on the left of his best friend._

 _"Two hundred and twenty-seven of them." The blonde specified with a breathy sigh, watching his exhale leave his lips as a puff of ashy white smoke._

 _"That's a lot of sheep, I usually lose count at fifty-two." The First Class chuckled softly._

 _"Why am I not surprised?" Cloud snickered, joining in on the silent laughter._

 _With no one else around but them and the night sky, it was peaceful, even while the others snoozed on from inside their respective tents. Zack then held up his right arm, extending the blanket out to his young friend. When Cloud looked up to meet his eyes, they were shimmering so delicately with a hint of coyness. He still kept a tiny smirk pulled at his lips at all times while he held out the open invitation to warm up._

 _With a deeper blush of his own, the blonde scooted closer until he was under the blanket's thick grasp. An arm was hooked around his right shoulder and he was pulled in just a little closer, arm against arm and ribs against ribs. Blushes quickly intensified and eye contact was kept at a minimal for a moment while they sat there. An acceptable, but awkward silence permeated the night air around them, save for the crackling of the fire and a single hoot from a nearby owl._

 _Then, something caught Cloud's eyes. He quickly glanced up to the sky just in time to see a bright streak of light splash across the sky before vanishing just as quick as it came._

 _"Woah, did you see that, Spike?" Zack asked, his voice trilling with exhilaration._

 _"I did." The blonde responded, both of their eyes of blue glued to the sky._

 _Then, there was another streak across the black, followed by two more. Eventually, the whole night sky was painted with white, ivory, light pink, and light blue streaks and smears. The lights passed over the glimmer in their eyes, lighting them up even more so._

 _"It's a meteor shower." Zack spoke breathlessly, awe laced in his voice like silk._

 _"It's beautiful." Cloud commented with the same kind of breathless fashion as his best friend._

 _He noticed, but at the same time, did not mind it when he felt the raven-haired man's grasp around him tighten a little more. He didn't mind when he was pulled close enough to rest his head on that broad shoulder beside him. And he certainly didn't mind when he soon found a pair of lips on his own while the shower in the atmosphere rained on._

 _They say it's good luck to make wishes on shooting stars, but making a wish during a meteor shower? That's the best kind of luck one could possibly get. When the blonde gazed into the bright eyes of the First Class sitting beside him, his one wish was,_

 _'I want it to stay like this …forever.'_

* * *

A/N: And there's chapter nine for you guys! I hope it was up to standards :p Sorry it took so long for me to update this! Been Hella busy as of late, but hopefully I won't wait forever and a day to update again!

So leave a review or let me know what you think, okay? I need all the motivation I can get! X3

Until next time everyone, farewell!  
~Zimithrus1

PS: I apologize to my Beta reader! You had to look over so many mistakes this time, I'll so better next time, I promise XD


End file.
